Thai artists showed coffee is for more than just drinking as they turned dark roasted blends into portraits of famous people and milk bubbles into art at the Thailand International Coffee and Bakery Show at Royal Garden Plaza.
Jintanakarn Maneerat used coffee as paint to style a portrait of late Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury and won top prize in the adult painting category. He won 50,000 baht, an iPhone 4 and a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! certificate at the May 6-11 exhibition.
Jintanakarn Maneerat (left) won top prize for his painting of Freddie Mercury, whilst Ruangyot Kungsasri (right) won the student category for his drawing of Albert Einstein.
Ruangyot Kungsasri won 20,000 baht, an iPhone 4 and certificate for his likeness of Albert Einstein.
In a separate contest, 34-year-old Rambhai Chansongkhro of Udon Thani crafted the most-creative artwork using latte milk bubbles. She won a trophy and 10,000 baht cash.
Theerawat Wongworatat, president of the Coffee and Tea Association of Thailand, said the show was organized to show off Thai coffee culture, as many people are unaware java beans are actually grown in the Kingdom.
The show also featured an exhibit of the world’s 10 most expensive coffees, including a home-grown version of Indonesia’s “kopi luwak,” brewed from the droppings of civets who feed on coffee beans.
Thailand also cultivates the syrupy brew in Kanchanaburi, with Thais calling it “musk coffee.”
