Max Kreangkim is a man driven by a passion for life. Forget toiling away in a bland office space, he’s chasing what he wants in life. For him, that’s skating, drinking, and art. As far as he’s concerned, the rest could matter less. His work features comical self-caricatures getting harassed by the cops, being cooped up in a cubicle, tearing down cages, and flying away into space. It’s angsty, liberated, and very funny, but it’s also quietly meaningful.

If you want to step into Max’s world, his first solo show, REAL, opens at Black Cabin this Saturday, Sept. 28, and runs until Oct. 6th.

Max, whose real name is Kreingkrai Kimsawat, tried the office life after university for a couple of years until he fully decided: fuck that. He went off in his own direction to chase a life he loved instead. His work is full of a disdain for that soul-sucking world and culture of conformity, partially from his personal experience, but also from the stories he still hears from friends stuck in that life.

Alcohol is another main subject of Max’s art. Luckily, he’s left the office for the bar permanently and now owns a watering hole called MMM in Lat Phrao. (There’s almost certainly an office there in some backroom, but at least it’s his.) Sometimes the booze in his drawings creates a euphoric state, with characters bathing happily in spirits and soaring to the moon. Other times, the realities of alcoholism are present with death often lurking nearby. The police are frequently present too, detaining him for defacing mailboxes or getting smoke blown in their face. Skating and hidden vaginas are also always somewhere around the corner.

One of the more touching series in Max’s art that captures the essence of his philosophy are the minimalist pieces comparing two characters on a bright, blank background; one chasing money and the other chasing paradise or love. It all boils down to that decision to skip the rat race and pursue happiness instead. Is it just a fantasy? Maybe for a lot of people it’s just a dream to indulge in, but there’s definitely truth to his point as well. Many of us adopt a lifestyle that we thoroughly hate just because it’s what’s expected. Maybe some people should simply ask why.