“Searching for the Face of Time”

Searching for the Face of Time — Konstantin Chaykin

For the first time in Bangkok, Eurus Gallery presents Konstantin Chaykin across the full spectrum of his artistic practice — from mechanical watchmaking to original drawings, graphic works and painting. Running in parallel, The Art of Contrast brings together contemporary jewellery artists who explore the creative possibilities of opposing materials, eras, techniques and ideas.

Searching for the Face of Time

Konstantin Chaykin is internationally recognised as an independent watchmaker, inventor and creator of some of the most imaginative mechanical timepieces in contemporary horology. Yet watchmaking is only one expression of his artistic universe.

While individual Chaykin timepieces have previously been presented in Asia, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to discover the artist beyond the watch itself. Bringing together works from different periods, including entirely new creations, it presents his watches alongside original sketches, graphic works and paintings, revealing the connections between different aspects of his practice.

The title refers to one of Chaykin’s most recognisable artistic ideas — and to a curious double meaning in the English language. A watch has a face, and for Chaykin, that face becomes quite literally a character. His celebrated Wristmons series transforms watch dials into expressive faces: their eyes indicate the hours and minutes, while their mouths often display the phases of the Moon. Humans, animals, imaginary creatures and figures drawn from mythology become mechanical personalities, each with its own expression, character and sense of humour.

Behind these playful faces lies extraordinarily complex watchmaking. Chaykin’s achievement is not simply to decorate a mechanical watch with a recognisable image, but to make the mechanics themselves part of the artistic expression. Time becomes a living character, and the dial becomes a face capable of communicating emotion.

The search for the face of time extends far beyond the dial. Even a simple gear from a watch movement becomes an anthropomorphic character in Chaykin’s universe, and entire groups of these animated figures appear in his self-portraits, where the artist depicts himself surrounded by his own creations. A drawing may become the starting point for a mechanical invention, while a character conceived for a watch can take on an independent life in graphic art or painting.

Original sketches, once associated primarily with the design process, have become collectible artworks in their own right, achieving prices of tens of thousands of dollars at major international auctions. The exhibition also introduces a side of Chaykin’s practice that remains unfamiliar even to many admirers of his watches: painting. His paintings have already achieved auction results of up to CHF 180,000 (USD 200,000), demonstrating that his artistic reputation extends well beyond the world of horology.

By bringing together watches, drawings, limited-edition graphics and paintings, Eurus Gallery invites visitors to see Konstantin Chaykin not simply as an exceptional watchmaker, but as an artist whose ideas move freely between different forms of expression.

The Art of Contrast

Running in parallel in the gallery’s second exhibition space, The Art of Contrast explores one of the most powerful tools in contemporary art: the juxtaposition of seemingly incompatible elements. For the artists presented, contrast is not simply a visual effect, but a way of questioning established ideas about beauty, value, tradition and artistic expression.

Hong Kong artist Dickson Yewn brings together traditional Chinese culture and craftsmanship with titanium and contemporary construction methods. VA, also based in Hong Kong, sets vintage gemstones with rare cuts in settings of almost uncompromising modern perfection in the Quiet Rings series. Alexander Laut approaches contrast through humour and pop-art imagery, turning ironic and unexpected subjects into precious objects. Ilgiz F. combines centuries-old enamelling techniques with innovative materials such as nanosital.

Africa, a project by Alice in Wonderlab in collaboration with Epic Jewelry, draws on African tribal adornment, where objects discarded in one culture become highly valued personal ornaments in another, and asks what actually makes something precious. Italian jewellery artist Alessio Boschi incorporates authentic antique elements, including ancient coins and mosaics, into elaborate contemporary compositions, making antiquity an active part of the present.

Address: Eurus Gallery, The House on Sathorn, 106 North Sathorn Road, Bangkok.