SOCIAL IMPACT · 2008
When Art Funded Hope
Zen Gallery, Central World Bangkok. Ten photographers from across Asia and Europe. One mission. My photograph "Serenity Aspekt" was selected as the face of the campaign. 100% of profits went directly to HIV-positive children in Thailand.
That wasn't charity. That was the blueprint.
How It Started
A year earlier, I'd created the H.O.P.E Project in Cambodia with Mitch Webber from Ogilvy Action Bangkok — a charity calendar that never got commercially released.
Most people would call that a failure. I call it a prototype.
The photographs proved something I'd been suspecting: an image can carry more than aesthetics. It can carry hope. The International Photo Awards 2007 confirmed it — Honorable Mention, People category.
Mark Ogaslert, founder of Bloom Pro Lab Bangkok, saw that work and introduced me to Jaffee Yee. Jaffee had just launched PhotoArtAsia — the first art photography magazine in all of Asia. He wasn't looking for technically brilliant photographers. He was looking for photographers who believed art should do something.
He found me.
THE ARTWORK
"Serenity Aspekt"
"Serenity Aspekt" wasn't created for this cause.
I shot it in 2004 in my duplex at Place Clichy, Paris — my first photo studio. I'd bring in models, hairdressers, makeup artists, and build entire sets in my living room. For this portrait, I worked with Mossane — a Black model — and scanned Maori tattoos that I composited onto her skin and neck. A hairdresser sculpted her hair live on set. Pure creative experimentation, part of my Out Of The Box collection.
But when Jaffee Yee saw it, he saw something else entirely.
Ten artists were selected — Tay Kay Chin, Jason Wee, Erna Dyanty, Parthiv Shah — serious names across the region. Among all the works submitted, Jaffee chose this image as the face of the entire campaign. Poster. Invitations. All communications.
Not because it showed suffering. Because it radiated calm. Dignity. Presence.
YOU DON'T ALWAYS CREATE ART FOR A CAUSE. SOMETIMES THE ART YOU'VE ALREADY MADE IS THE CAUSE — IT JUST NEEDS SOMEONE TO SEE IT.
Everyone photographs crisis. I had photographed presence.
That's why they chose it.
THE IMPACT
WHAT IT CHANGED
100% OF PROFITS DONATED.
Three organizations received the full proceeds: Mercy Centre Bangkok (HIV-positive children), Baan Gerda (orphanage for affected children), and Mercy Centre Phrae (medical care).
Then something else happened. A private collector — Mr. Thawin — acquired "Serenity Aspekt" in the 100×150cm format.
A charity exhibition. A sold artwork. Social impact and market value in the same room.
ART FUNDS ACTION. NOT IN THEORY. IN CASH.
THE LEGACY
THE PROTOTYPE
Most photographers treat charity shows as résumé lines. I treated Photo Art Asia 2008 as a proof of concept.
Seventeen years later, the same architecture drives every project I launch. Afterglow Vegas: limited edition neon heritage prints funding cultural preservation. Iconic Women: 10% of book profits to Say Stop against domestic violence. H.O.P.E Cambodia: returning in 2027 to photograph the same children — now adults — and funding their education through art sales.
THE ART WORLD SAYS: MAKE MONEY OR MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
I CHOSE NOT TO CHOOSE.
Photo Art Asia 2008 was the first time I proved them wrong. It wasn't the last.
ABOUT PHOTOARTASIA
The first art photography magazine in Asia. Founded by Jaffee Yee in 2008. Dedicated to one idea: photographers who combine technical mastery with social conscience can change more than galleries — they can change lives.
DETAILS
Venue: Zen Gallery, Central World Bangkok
Format: Collective exhibition, 10 international photographers
Founded by: Jaffee Yee
Production: Bloom Pro Lab (Mark Ogaslert)
Year: 2008