Why the future of meaningful art might just be entirely private at House Museum by Rom Design

In a fast-paced, digitally-driven world, what inspired you to create an intimate, invitation-only space like House Museum? How does this private setting enhance the way viewers experience and connect with the art?

I believe that sometimes starting with a small idea can be a way of creating new value around something, whether it’s a work, a project, or even a business.

I’m at a point in my life where I feel that authenticity, and the attempt to communicate something truthful about life, has become increasingly rare in a world that moves so quickly and is increasingly shaped by digital experiences. That was one of the reasons I wanted to switch modes and place more focus on creating experiences in the physical, offline world.

For me, House Museum is not simply a space for displaying art. It is a space where people can slow down, be present, and interact with art in a more personal and intimate way. I believe that some works of art need time and the right atmosphere to reveal themselves, they don’t always have to be experienced in a crowded or conventional gallery setting.

The private, invitation-only format allows us to create that sense of intimacy. It gives visitors the freedom to connect with the work at their own pace, and perhaps discover something that might not reveal itself through a more conventional way of experiencing art or simply through a different kind of conversation.

You mentioned drawing inspiration from the 'House Gallery' culture in LA. How did you adapt this concept to fit the specific cultural context of Bangkok, and what elements of that LA programming were essential to bring home?

One project in LA that inspires me was the Schindler House. It was once used as a cross-cultural meeting point, which also brought Japanese spatial concepts and introduced them in LA in 1922. But this project wasn’t specifically inspired by LA alone; it was actually broader. One of the first guests to visit the space was the Director of Art Basel, Hong Kong.

At that time, this site was still under construction (the old site was my father’s garage), and it was a kind of empty-bare shell programming... I kept having conversations with myself about what I should do and how this should be. So I came back to the idea... the values which I was holding inside of me, something about Zen, spirituality, and also the idea of contentment. This is why Japanese aesthetics come into my work.

You run Townhouse Gallery as a public space, while House Museum is strictly private. How does managing these two contrasting environments fulfill different aspects of your overarching curatorial vision?

I wouldn’t fully use the word ‘curatorial’ in my sense, but more like a navigation between the public and private realm. In private and personal, I feel I can really push forward the ideas which are fundamental to my values. In the public or pop-up space, however, I feel it’s much more complex than personal will; it is also concerned with the stakeholders involved... to help push the project through, which is more complex in a way. Frankly speaking, I think I’m on this [House Museum] for a very serious level. It’s not just part of, or only as, entertainment.

Since 'a location is just a location' without the right connections, what does an ideal 'authentic conversation' or residency experience look like at the House Museum? What do you look for when selecting guests or global collectors to participate?

For me, the idea about ‘authentic conversation’ is having the space that you are able to speak freely (without judgement) on various aspects of life, from wellbeing, politics, culture, and debating on issues forward. I think when the conversation is real and authentic, for me, it has meaning. I think as a human, you can sense when someone is speaking on something really on the truth, or they are just distracting somebody with words. I think the fundamental of my selection criteria is this; however, I still have to be flexible and open to people who would like to engage with me and my world on a deeper level.

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As Gensho Sugahara’s exhibition is the debut project for House Museum, how does his showcase—blending contemporary street-fashion postures with traditional Buddhist calmness—fulfill your vision of a 'cross-cultural conversation,' and set the tone for the space’s long-term future?

Working with sculpture comes with its own limitations, because it is not something that can be easily moved or altered. I feel that sculpture has a certain sense of weight, permanence, and seriousness to its language, which aligns with my intention for this project: to have sculpture lead the exhibition and become one of the key visual languages of what House Museum wants to communicate.

This was actually part of my thinking from the very beginning. I wanted to “plant a flag” for sculpture and have it remain within the space over the long term, rather than simply being an artwork that comes in for an exhibition and then leaves.

I feel that, unlike a painting, sculpture has a certain physical strength because it solidifies an idea into something tangible and grounded. It has weight, volume, and a physical presence. It is not something that can be easily moved or simply taken away. At the same time, that physicality also makes it vulnerable — it can be fragile, it can break, and that tension between strength and fragility is something I find very interesting.

Painting, to me, feels more open and free. It exists on a different plane, and the way an image or idea is constructed through painting is very different from the way it is embodied through sculpture. With sculpture, the work occupies physical space and becomes part of the environment around it.

I’m drawn to the way sculpture can become part of a place and exist alongside people for generations — from the Statue of Liberty and ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, to the works of Auguste Rodin, and even ancient stone works from different civilizations, stretching from Egypt to Mexico.

I feel that these works carry a sense of strength, monumentality, and grandeur, but at the same time, they have a sense of permanence and presence. Over time, they become more than just objects or artworks; they can become part of the identity and collective memory of a place.

At the same time, I want House Museum to create a certain sentimental value for me, and what I try to develop for Thailand, through this particular place, and for the people who come together here. I want it to be a space where we can rebalance our lives with a sense of humility, reconnect with nature, and perhaps step away from the online world for a moment and return to something more offline and tangible.

I think the idea of “Art of Being” is very important at this point in time. Gensho Sugahara is an artist who brought me back to a deeper appreciation of art, craft, and certain traditional values that I feel are gradually disappearing from society.

I first encountered Gensho’s work in Kyoto, and I immediately felt that there was something we shared, in the way we think and in our perspectives on life. We spent almost a year talking and getting to know each other before he decided to come to House Museum for his first Artist Residency outside Japan.

For me, this is therefore not simply about bringing a Japanese artist to exhibit in Thailand. It is about creating a dialogue between cultures through the things we share as human beings — a sense of calm, beauty, sensitivity, and ultimately, the ability to be present in the moment.

You hold a strong appreciation for the concept of 'quiet art'. Could you elaborate on what 'quiet art' means to you, and how this philosophy shapes the artists you choose to collaborate with and the kind of dialogue you hope to foster?

I think the more conversations you have with people, and the more work or business you do, at the end of the day, I feel that it’s about the meaningful conversation you establish. A lot of things in the world are also unspoken. And I like to understand more about that line, and by helping to push in the way that is more ‘quiet’ than ‘loud’ because I feel that if the thing is authentic, no matter how long it is, it will still be an authentic voice in the old way... For me, I think collecting art is also personal, and I like the quiet time or personal time much more as I grow older. I think when I was younger in my 20s, I was looking at more of an outer-realm of viewing the world, but in my 30s, I feel my will has switched to something more real, grounded, offline, and meaningful.

Beyond bringing artists like Gensho Sugahara to Bangkok, what specific 'synergies' are you looking to cultivate between Thai and other international creative communities through your residency program?

I think synergy is the ‘work’ itself, and the feeling that I get from it, or there is something that kind of pulls me in; that’s the first point when I look for cultivation. I also feel, for me, authenticity is important, the vision of the partner is also important, and also how we work together as a team in doing something together. I think it’s teamwork, it’s not solo work anymore. It just depends on life, who you cross paths with, and what draws you in. When you get to meet, encounter someone, sometimes it's luck, but sometimes it’s also a chance.

Looking ahead, how do you hope this unique blueprint will contribute positively to the broader creative community in Thailand, and how does it serve as a physical manifestation of your broader vision for ROMCOMPANY?

I see this as a real-world practice of putting a vision into action — a way of making the different worlds of ROMCOMPANY tangible. HOUSE MUSEUM, ROM DESIGN, TOWNHOUSE, TOWNHOUSE Gallery, and eventually TOWNHOUSE Apartment are all part of the same evolving picture.

What I’m building is not simply about following a trend or creating a “world” of my own. I’m interested in putting real effort into the offline world — creating spaces, conversations, and experiences that can contribute to moving culture forward and perhaps pushing its boundaries a little further.

I believe that meaningful development doesn’t always have to happen through something big or immediate. Sometimes it’s about putting your head down and doing small things every day, gradually connecting them together — a little like building with lego. Each piece might seem small on its own, but over time, they begin to form something bigger. I think that process of constantly building, evolving, and discovering what comes next is part of the fun.

With this project, I also want the work to reflect something back to myself — and to the values of ROM DESIGN and ROMCOMPANY, as well as the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with along the way. At the very least, I want to know that I’ve tried to do something meaningful: to create, nurture, experiment, and bring something new and valuable into the world for as long as I have the time to do so.

I think, ultimately, that is what gives my life meaning.

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