SHOWCASE

/ ARTIST / 2025

BKKIF Artist  
ARTIST: John & The Gang
COUNTRY: Thailand
EMAIL: ployplay2000@gmail.com
CONTACT: https://web.facebook.com/Napasgallery
https://www.instagram.com/john.andthegang/
Hi, I’m Ploy, a graphic designer who spends all her time at home surrounded by street cats I’ve rescued. Living with them is a blast and super relaxing.
'John' is a play on the Thai word 'จร' (Jor), which means 'stray,' and it’s become my go to nickname. I can’t help but call every stray cat I meet 'John'!

John cross the line

These stray cats are each crossing the power lines in their own way some are natural tightrope walkers, some invent gadgets to fly, some go solo, and some need a team to make it through.
To me, stray cats = myself = all of us.
After stepping into adult working life, I started to realize that there’s no one-size-fits-all path to success. We don’t need to pressure ourselves to follow someone else’s map, even cats have their own ways of figuring things out!
In the end, whether you’re flying, walking, jumping, or slipping off the wire from time to time, you still have the freedom to choose who you are, how you live, and what you love to believe in.
That, to me, is the freedom of being a cat (and a human)

John and the Gang : At the Cafe

I love chilling at quiet cafés...
But honestly, I’m really there to watch life’s little training ground.
The baristas whip up three drinks at once hands moving like they’re in a speed game.
Some people work super seriously... then suddenly faceplant into a nap.
Others are full-on pro reviewers, filming café reels like it’s a studio.
By afternoon, students roll in and turn the place into a gaming arcade.
Some are in such a rush, they forget their stuff…
Sometimes even forget to pay!
I sit there like the neighborhood auntie watching over the shop,
secretly thinking everyone’s just like a bunch of stray cats
each with their own quirks and chaos,
but together, they make this quiet café so full of life

Camp Meow

I’m stuck in the moment of camping out with my friends. We got drunk, danced, and ate like there were no rules. It felt like we could do anything, because honestly… only we know who danced the weirdest.

John's Day in Talad Noi

“I wonder if I’ll get the chance to visit Talad Noi more often.”
Every time I go, I always catch something out of the corner of my eye — a flick of a cat’s tail, or sometimes I hear a sudden meowww... hissss echoing from between buildings.
Then, out of nowhere, a nearby box starts shifting on its own with a scritch scritch sound.
If you really want to meet the stray cats, you have to go at night. That’s when they come out in groups to explore. There are so many of them!
Some clearly look like siblings maybe even from the same mother.
One of them once walked right up to me while I was reaching for my camera. It stared into the lens like it knew it was about to be photographed like it had planned to meet me there.

I still wonder just how many cats are hidden around this place.
One thing’s for sure… it’s more than I ever imagined even more than I’ve ever drawn in my pictures.

Trash Mission : Croc Edition

This is a moment from when I went kayaking with my partner at Hua Takhe.
It turned into an unintentional acrobatic show because a stray cat kept jumping back and forth across our boat like it was really into the performance! (No one made it do that—it just loved it!)

There’s also a canal clean-up kayaking activity here.
So I started imagining...
What if these cats teamed up with crocodiles (of course there has to be a croc,this is Hua Takhe, after all)?
They’d make the cutest and most chaotic clean-up crew ever!

SunBath Cats

It would be hilarious to see a bunch of cats arranged in matching gradient shades.
I imagined them sunbathing starting from pure white, then gradually “toasted” into a cream-point, turning into dark brown, and finally ending up pitch black…
Totally sunburned, like they’ve been roasted!

CATALOGUE_ศิลป์แมวข้ามยุค

This is a set of character cards that tell the stories of cats through different eras and art movements.

Devil Cat

Happy Cat Hug Day… even the tiny demon ones deserve a cuddle!

Specially-Abled Pets Day

This piece was created for Specially-Abled Pets Day, so I included my own cat, Jod, in it. He has wide-set eyes and an adorably odd little face. I promise I’m not bullying him but trust me, once you see him, you’ll know exactly what I mean!

Rainy Day

It’s only during the cold season and rainy days when my friends vanish like socks in the laundry that I start to feel extra lonely. So, naturally, I brewed some expired tea… because nothing says “I’ve got it together” like sipping sadness with a hint of mystery flavor.