Director's Note:

Phuket is situated in an area that offers some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. It is a place for those seekig to do nothing more than totally unwind on long stretches of stunning white sandy beaches and translucent sea, or to explore the long mountainous stretches that create the magnificent background. The Pearl of the Andaman is the way Phuket has been described for many years. Phuket town is also not able for having the only Sino-Portuguese architecture in Thailand. I am very pround to be a native of Phuket, a place with fascinating natural scenery, unique architectural influences and abundance of art forms and cultural heritage.

Tourism is one of Phuket's fastest growing industries and a major source of income for Phuket. However, this rapid growth of tourism has had many negative effects as well, including the construction of many building, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and night-spots which have contributed to the addiction of many of our young people to flash, light, noise, gambling and drugs.

As a teacher and a mother of two daughters, I am especially concerned about changing moral values of Phuket's younger generation. With all the new construction, there was not one place that was specially designed to connect our young people with art. This triggered Khun Tee's idea of establishing an art gallery in order to reinforce the importance of artistic expression and to expose our teenagers to the wonder and beauty ofart. Due to Khun Tee's offshore work in the Gulf of Thailand, I often had to step into Khun Tee's rather large shoes to set up the art gallery. His support, appreciation and contribution to the art world and his desire to hightlight the importance of art and creativity for teenagers provided me with the extra stranght and determination to eventually open the art gallery.

Ajarn Suansri Teosakul
Director's Phuket Art Gallery