“When I was younger, I used to argue like mad with clients, telling them, ‘That’s so boring! It’s conservative! I don’t want to work that way. I’d rather put a naked girl on a pile of ice cubes in the ocean than have her just standing in a forest looking pretty.’ That’s the whole point of creativity—being completely different. And in some way, I like to shock!”

Meet Patrick "Gung" (Shrimp) Gauvain, a creative legend in Bangkok’s community. With over 50+ years of experience in photography then subsequently growing his creative studio. Patrick has played a defining role in shaping the city's visual identity. His studio has been instrumental in crafting the aesthetics of brands like Jim Thompson, setting a benchmark for corporate imagery in Thailand.

Patrick takes us on a whirlwind journey through his career—starting in London, where he worked alongside the Beatles, then traveling across Japan, Manila, the Philippines, and Australia on tour. But it was a love connection that ultimately anchored him in East Asia.

He peels back the layers of his journey, revealing how one opportunity seamlessly led to another, eventually bringing him to Bangkok.

“Some Thai friends wanted me to come here and help run a magazine. So I thought, ‘Well, okay. That’s interesting—something different.’ I hopped on a cargo boat, and sailed from Japan to Bangkok.”

In 1975, Bangkok’s commercial photography scene was in its infancy, with only three established photographers—including Patrick Shrimp Gauvain himself. At a time when television was still mostly black and white, he saw his work being misused, poorly integrated into unrefined designs. Frustrated, he decided to take matters into his own hands, delving into art and design, this pivotal decision set the foundation for a larger clientele.

How has Patrick Shrimp Gauvain kept up through years of technological developments and the increasing saturation of Bangkok’s creative scene?