【Matsudo was not just a destination, but a beginning of an artistic journey that I get to embark on.】LONGSTAY Program 2016 + Comeback 2019｜Purin Phanichphant

PARADISE AIR got a message in the 2019 yearbook from Purin Phanichphant, a Thai-American artist who has spent time at PARADISE AIR through some programs;
LONGSTAY Program 2016
SHORTSTAY Program 2019
Thank you again, Purin. We are happy to hear about your view of the future, “let’s make the most out of what we have!”

Artist Profile

プリン・パニチュパン – PARADISE AIR

A Destination That Became A Journey

It’s been over three years since my first landing in Matsudo, a destination that keeps calling me back, where I make a pilgrimage year over year. Every time I take a stroll along Edogawa river, eat Ten-zaru at Tanakaya, or find myself buying single-drip coffee from Mahameru, I feel at home again. Perhaps it’s the city’s spirit that got into me. Perhaps it’s the fact that Japan happens to be my natural transit point between the USA and Thailand, both of which are my home bases. Perhaps it’s the welcoming PARADISE AIR staff and the quirky artists from around the world whom I meet whenever I make a visit. For whatever reason, the three-month LONGSTAY residency turned out to extend into a three-year one, and I have a feeling that it might turn into a Super-LONGSTAY (three-decade?) and beyond.

Having done a handful of artist residencies, I always describe PARADISE AIR to others as a place where I got to live and make art above a Pachinko parlor in what used to be a hotel for three months. Specifically, I’m particularly obsessed with the variety of themes within each room, the remnants of a torn down wall within the 5th floor lounge, and the DIY furniture and lighting fixtures made by Junpei. This “let’s make the most out of what we have” creates a sense of limitless possibilities and a fertile ground for creativity. For example, we put together a pop-up show in July 2019, titled “A Second Look,” consisting of seven artists who happen to cross paths around the same time.

Realizing the benefits of such residency programs on the cultural liveliness of a city, the impact it has on local and international artists, and the fluidity in which the program and its staff embodies, I’m inspired to create my own residency in my hometown. As it turns out, Matsudo was not just a destination, but a beginning of an artistic journey that I get to embark on.

Purin Phanichphant

（Photo by Hajime Kato, 2016）