Piyatat “Oh” Hemmatat is one of the Thailand’s leading photographers. Piyatat discovered his passion and talent for the arts early in his teens while studying in London. With a bachelor’s degree in fine art from City & GuildLondon art school, and a master’s degree in visual art from Chelsea College of Art & Design, Piyatat returned home in 2007 where he established his own eponymous studio. His photographic works encompass a variety of narratives – from socio-political commentary, faith, spirituality, and abstract experimentation to groundbreaking conceptual photography – and have been published and exhibited both locally and internationally, as well as featured in collections in Asia and Europe, including the Museum Siam inBangkok and the Not Vital Foundation in Switzerland.Seeing the need to create more venues to showcase rising local talent,Piyatat established the RMA Institute in 2010. Named in honor of his grandmother, RMA Institute is a non-profit space exhibiting and dealing in emerging, regional, and international photography, as well as other media.The gallery regularly holds artists talks, screenings, performances, creative workshops, and exhibition openings.In July 2015, Piyatat, along with Ark Fongsmut, Nikan Wasinondh, andren owned photographer and curator Manit Sriwanichpoom, organizedPhoto Bangkok 2015, Bangkok’s first home-grown photography festival,which took place across the city over two months, highlighting the works of both local and international photographers. While the next Photo Bangkok festival is still in the works, Piyatat remains an important figure in Thailand’s creative scene, admired not only for his photographic works but also for his role in fostering and developing the next generation of Thai photographers.
