SHOWCASE

/ ARTIST / 2026

ARTIST: Bach.e21
COUNTRY: Thailand
CONTACT: https://www.instagram.com/bach.e21/
Hello, I'm Bach.e21 form Thailand, I'm 29 years old

I’m not good at communicating my feelings through words, I mostly find it hard to open up to anyone else. So I use my artwork to express what I feel or experience, through symbolism and expression

My art style is inspired by my young experience of watching cartoon on Cartoon Network and Disney Cartoon, so it makes me learn to draw and absorb that style too

XXI All the World's a Stage

When I was assigned "The World" card, the first thing that came to my mind was the famous quote, "All the world’s a stage" by William Shakespeare. Because of that, I wanted to create a theatre ballad theme where my character performs her final movements on stage.

When I researched the meaning of The World card, I found that it signifies wholeness, fulfillment, and success. I originally tried to think about what my own personal achievements were, but the funny thing was, I couldn't find one.
So, I shifted the character's concept to reflect what success means from my own perspective. For me, success isn't about being perfect; it comes to people who never give up. That is why I gave the character prosthetic arms and legs. To me, successful people are those who do what they love and completely forget about what others think of them which is reflected in both her facial expression and her dance moves. She is dancing just before taking her final bow to end the show, mirroring how The World is the final card of the Major Arcana.

For the composition, I modernized the traditional card layout. Originally, the four corners featured four animals representing the four elements, which traditional tarot also aligns with four zodiac constellations. I used that structure to recreate the corners, placing a dancing angel in the center. For the stage decorations, the top section is designed to look like The Sun, while the bottom section beneath her feet looks like The Moon. Positioned between them is the angel, representing Earth.
For the flowers, I used sunflowers to signify success and happiness, purple roses for the extraordinary, purple daisies for elegance, success, and admiration, and daffodils paired with butterflies to represent a great transformation.

Thank you to Chaloem La Art House for giving me the opportunity to work on 'The Wheel of Fortune.'"

White Joker

The concept of this piece is 'Beautiful Grief,' a study in broken beauty. I used a semi-realistic, close-up composition to externalize the character’s inner emotions, reflecting how I felt when I lost my loved ones.

Red Joker

The concept for this work is 'Sola Acceptatio Te Liberabit' (Only acceptance will set you free). Because of this, he is the only character who can break out of the card frame; he is the only one who feels truly comfortable.

He is a white Joker who has survived the Four Horsemen to become who he is now.

4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse (5 Step of Grief)

The concept of my illustration series is a playing card deck where each suit represents a different Horseman:

♠︎ Spades represent Death. In traditional card symbolism, the spade already stands for death.
♡ Hearts represent Wars. Traditional symbolism connects hearts to love, but here it acts as a dark mirror. Many wars are not born from hate, but from love for a nation, for people, or for ideals worth protecting.
♢ Diamonds represent Famine. Diamonds traditionally mean wealth, and the exact opposite of wealth is famine.
♣︎ Clubs represent pestilence. Traditionally, clubs mean intellect and gathering. In the modern world, pestilence spreads through human gathering and adapts through evolution.

I use the face cards to show the order in which the Horsemen arrive based on the Bible (Jack, Queen, King, Ace). For Death, I chose the Ace. Based on Blackjack rules, an Ace is just a 1 on its own, but when paired with a Jack, Queen, or King, they empower it to become an 11. It becomes an end-game, just like how Pestilence, War, or Famine arriving makes Death stronger.

An "Apocalypse" means a severe event resulting in great destruction and change. I compare this to my own experience of grief after losing the people I love. It felt like an apocalypse the destruction and change of my entire world. It feels like the way I used to show my love for them is now lost.

In original Latin, ‘apokalypsis’ means not destruction, but revelation. Like the word itself, the Red Joker does not end the story he discloses the truth hidden within it so When the Red Joker enters, he is the one who reveals the truth. He shows that the 4 Horsemen are just masks hiding their real identity: the 5 stages of grief.
- Jack is Denial: Wearing a mask and pretending everything is going to be okay.
- Queen is Anger: A war against reality, asking why this happened to us.
- King is Bargaining: An unbalanced scale, hungering for any alternative opinion to make us feel better.
- Ace is Depression: Feeling dead inside, one second feeling high and the next feeling low.
The Red Joker is the person who goes through all of this and accepts things as they are.

On a personal level, I want to honour the kindness and care of my mother (Jack), the strength and courage of my aunt (Queen), and the knowledge and wisdom of my uncle (King). I miss all of you every single day.
The Ace is currently me, still blaming myself and feeling like my existence caused them to pass away. The White Joker is what I used to be, and the Red Joker is who I want to become.

I started this project simply because I thought it would look cool for my BKKIF submission. But maybe my subconscious was trying to tell me something more, so I just went with the flow, and this is how it turned out. Now that it is finished, the project has already given me everything I needed because it became a form of therapy. It made me feel better in my grief, giving me a way to honour the people I love. Whether this work is selected or not, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank Warisa and this event for inspiring me to finish this work.

Inscription of the Eclipse (Back of the card)

The eclipse at the center represents that sudden darkness, the way everything feels like it goes black the moment you lose someone.

Around it, the butterfly pattern speaks to transformation, the slow process of becoming someone new after loss. And if you look closely, there are six trumpet angels in the border. In the Bible, the sixth trumpet marks the moment right before the end, the final judgment hasn’t arrived yet, but it’s close. To me, that’s what grief feels like in its later stages. Not over, but almost. Like even in the darkest part, there’s still a silver lining waiting on the other side

Jack of Clubs (Pestilence)

When I started designing this character, I asked myself how pestilence affects a person not just hurting their body, but also their mind. I want to communicate that even though her body has a lot of wounds, she is smiling as if she enjoys her sickness, which shows her mental state.

Her mask is inspired by the plague doctors from the historical Black Death, and her costume is inspired by World War II soldiers who used chemical weapons and dealt with pestilence on the battlefield. For her staff, I used something that resembles medical staff but can also be seen as the staff of Hermes, the messenger in Roman mythology. This fits her role as a Horseman, a messenger warning of the end of the world.

The background frame is inspired by the Industrial Revolution, an era when many people died from pestilence. For the flowers, I used Rafflesia kerrii Meijer and fungi to represent spreading and infection.

Queen of Hearts (War)

When I started designing this character, I asked myself how people go through war and how it affects them. I think most people who witness a lot of war will not just feel sad or full of despair, they will feel numb.

Her costume and jewelry are inspired by the Viking era, including her armbands, which are based on Viking tradition. For the patterns on her costume and sword, I used Viking and Celtic patterns that influenced that era.

For the flower, I chose the poppy, which shows strength and bravery, and also serves as a memorial to veterans.

King of Diamonds (Famine)

When I started designing this character, I asked myself how people go through hunger over a long period of time. They don't just feel angry they feel exhausted and irritable. I also wanted this character to feel like he is suffering from a different kind of hunger: not just a hunger for food, but a hunger for knowledge. But when he knows too much, it hurts him deeply, too.
The gold on his skin and his donkey is inspired by the myth of King Midas, where everything he touches turns to gold. When I hear that story, I feel the irony, he has unlimited wealth, but it costs him his daily life, meaning he can't even eat or drink like a normal person. I think that is a perfect comparison for the kind of famine I want to show.

His costume and frame are inspired by the Middle Eastern and Roman eras, both of which suffered great declines and collapsed partly due to famine.

For the flowers, I used only plants that grow in the desert. I chose dry cactus, the California desert poppy, desert lupine, and encelia.

Ace of Spades (Death)

For all four Horsemen, when I design their facial expressions, I base them on what represents and affects each character. The Ace of Spades (Death) was kind of an easy one to do a facial expression for.

The concept is "Simple and Elegant," like how most people want their death to be. The main character is a skeleton the universal symbol of death and in his eyes is a cosmic space, showing that he is eternity.

The costume, jewelry, and frame designs are inspired by the Victorian era and British references. For the decoration, I chose black roses to represent death, and butterflies to represent rebirth, supporting the character.

Moo

A lovable cat who wants to scare people but ends up making them adore him instead