This Thai gallery is giving away THB 80,000 or P126k in exchange for stir-fried noodles paintings
So you love stir-fried noodles, but can you perfectly capture its rich flavor and smooth texture in a picture?
If you answered yes—and live anywhere in Thailand–then you're in luck. A Bangkok-based gallery is holding a contest for residents who can paint their version of the famous Thai street food pad see ew with a whopping THB 80,000 or almost P126,000 as a cash prize.
TARS Gallery released the announcement on social media on Wednesday, Aug. 10. The post reads, "TARS Gallery is glad to introduce its first Award, the PAD SEE EW PAINTING AWARD 2022. For this open call, free to participate, we are asking artists living in Thailand to submit a painting representing an iconic Thai dish, the Pad See Ew."
The famous Thai dish is made of stir-fried wide rice noodles with Chinese broccoli, egg, and beef. It can also be made using chicken, pork, or tofu with a signature fish sauce flavor.
In an interview with Coconuts Bangkok, gallery founder Pierre Bechon revealed that although there is no right formula for painting pad see ew, one can be considered a good painting if it has the element of surprise.
“What makes a good pad see ew painting? It’s a good question,” Bechon said. “It could be the realism, or it can be the creativity around the reproduction of this dish. I think we’re not going to expect too much right now. We want to get out of the representational aspect. We want to be surprised. I know some people will compete with very different approaches to painting.”
Composition is also key, as one of the contest's judges is a photographer. "She will look at the composition in terms of balance," Bechon added. "It has to be appealing."
Anyone who lives in Thailand can join the contest and submit their entries for free. Each joiner must send three different works that measure one meter by one meter through this Google form by 11:59 pm, Thailand time, on Oct. 10, 2022.
The winner’s artwork will be displayed at TARS Gallery for two weeks and will be kept in a private collection afterward. According to its website, the gallery produces and exhibits local and international artworks that “disrupts and plays with existing norms to create social impact."