Ping Mantana (HUUYAOW)
Artist: Ping Mantana (HUUYAOW)
Nationality: Thailand
Instagram: HUUYAOW 🐰🌕 หูยาว / ヒューヤオー (@huuyaow) • Instagram photos and videos
Art inspiration: I use curiosity and a desire to create as my inspiration. Of course, I'm not a particularly skilled artist and I don't feel the need to be. I find happiness in creating my artwork, and I want to keep enjoying it. My character that I love to draw is named HUUYAOW. She represents my childhood self mixed with my beloved rabbit doll. HUUYAOW serves as a reminder of the fun and joy in drawing or creating something new without fear of it not being perfect by others' standards.
Style: People have said that my work resembles children's book illustrations, featuring HUUYAOW, a small girl with a big head and orange bunny ears. I don't have any special techniques; I'm just enjoying experimenting with new colors and tools. Currently, I mainly use acrylic and oil paints.
My character is often described as a girl with closed eyes covered in delicate petals with a soft glimmer or glow within.
Favourite Artists: Yayoi Kusama, Vincent van Gogh, Kazunoko
Favourite piece you have worked on: I think my favorite piece is "Cloud Umbrella." It depicts an umbrella made of clouds that protects from rain. Sometimes rain refreshes the heart, but other times it brings sadness and illness. Normally, clouds produce rain, symbolizing conformity to societal expectations. However, HUUYAOW's cloud umbrella showers starlight, representing hope and encouragement, on a stray cat she adopted. (He is now 7 years old, healthy, and has a warm home.)
Achievements:
1st Solo Exhibition in July 2023
Art toy auction at LOFT Art Toy Fest in September 2023
Art toy project celebrating the 140th anniversary of Thailand Post in November 2023
Mini Exhibition at Metro Art, MRT Phaholyothin in January 2024
Auction of my first oil painting, donated to the Ramathibodi Foundation
Speaker sharing stories about creating NFT Art and inspiration from HUUYAOW (I’ve been a speaker almost every month)
Speaker at the orientation event at Rangsit University in 2024
Exhibitions/Awards/Publications:
2024
31 Jan - 31 May 2024: Mini Exhibition @ METRO ART, Bangkok
30 Mar - 21 Apr 2024: Hechyeomoyeo 5, HUGS Songwat, Bangkok
16 June - 8 July 2024: Hechyeomoyeo 6, KOTE 주소, Korea
1 Aug - 15 Nov 2024: Mini Exhibition @ KENNY’S, Bangkok
16 Aug - 22 Sep 2024: MADSkills, Bangkok
2023
27 Jun - 3 Jul 2023: 1st Solo Exhibition @ Bangkok
Future plans: As a restless artist who loves creating, I want to keep exploring new techniques. Woodblock prints, screen printing, sculpture, clothing, jewelry, and many more—it all sounds very exciting. And of course, I hope that people who come across my art will smile happily. :)
Images taken from Artist Instagram with permission
