Last month’s announcement that Bangkok’s Thavibu Gallery will soon close, two decades after it pioneered regional integration through art and the online sale of art, came as a shock to the creative community. But Jorn Middelborg – who was selling Vietnamese and Burmese as well as Thai art from his premises at the Silom Galleria long before the Asean Economic Community was conceived – only sees the closing as “a new beginning”.

The Thavibu is selling off its stock of several hundred artworks through March, at a discount.

Middelborg, a Norwegian, arrived in Thailand nearly 20 years ago on a Unesco posting and turned the Thavibu into one of the few commercial galleries in Bangkok focused on modern and contemporary Asian art.

He was also a forerunner in selling art online. Thavibu.com has offered pieces by prominent Thai artists including Vasan Sitthiket, Jirapat Tatsanasomboon, Maitree Siriboon and Panya Vijinthanasarn, along with Myanmar masters and rising Vietnamese stars.

In 2014 the Thavibu hosted the first exhibition outside Myanmar of the politically charged art of Hla Myint Swe, who’d abandoned painting three years earlier to open a meditation centre.

Here Middleborg talks to The Nation in an exclusive interview about the gallery’s past and his future plans.

TELL US ABOUT THE GALLERY’S HISTORY AND ITS MISSION.

The Thavibu was established in 1998 to showcase works from Thailand, Vietnam and Burma – hence the name, Tha-Vi-Bu. Vietnamese art was booming, Burmese art was little known, and we are based in Bangkok, so Thai art was included as a natural focus. The Internet expanded rapidly around the same time and our website – the first “Internet gallery” in Thailand – was set up.

A painting sold in 1998 to a buyer in the US was probably the first artwork sold online from Thailand. The first painting we sold unseen online to the US that same year was by Sudjai Chaiyapan, probably for around $1,000 or $2,000.

We’ve always striven to be at the technical forefront and we have a presence on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and our own gallery app for the iPhone and iPad – it’s the only gallery app in Thailand!

WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS PRIMARILY?

We have clients all over the world. The main markets in Asia have been Singapore and Hong Kong, being international cities. We have a few dedicated Thai collectors as well.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE PIECES IN YOUR COLLECTION REMAINING AT THE END OF MARCH?

We have a few hundred artworks in storage. Some I will retain for my own collection and some we’ll return, and our manager, Heide Park Charoenporn, will continue her own business with a selection of works.

YOU’VE SAID THE MAIN REASON FOR CLOSING IS THE “STRUCTURAL CHANGE” IN THE ART MARKET.

There are structural changes happening in more than just the art market. These days many markets split into a high end and a low end, with the middle part left out. High-end art is increasingly being sold at international auctions, while the lower-end art is more often sold directly from the artists’ studios.

In the past, art was exhibited in and sold mostly from galleries and the galleries went to great lengths to support the artists with exhibitions, catalogues and other publications, participation in art fairs and possibly featuring in museum collections and auction sales. Today, artworks are sold via a variety of channels.

YOU PLAN TO WORK AS AN INDEPENDENT ART ADVISER.

Yes. I see the closing of the gallery as a new beginning. Art advisers have now become common and serve important roles in the US, Europe, Singapore and Hong Kong. Most importantly they serve as a bridge between the broader art world and the market. They make sure collectors acquire the best art with an eye to market conditions.

It’s not a one-man job, since we all need to work together to provide the best and most in-depth information and advice. I’ll draw on the network of museums, curators, auction houses, artists, galleries and others I’ve worked with.

HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERISE THE ASIAN ART MARKET AND SPECIFICALLY THAILAND’S?

I’m not so sure the art market in Singapore is booming. A third of the international galleries in the high-end Gillman Barracks area have recently closed. I’ve also received emails from galleries across Asia saying they’re concerned about the market situation in their countries.

The Thai art market is to some extent influenced negatively by the current political situation, though the international financial situation matters more.

WHAT WOULD YOU FORECAST FOR THE THAI AND ASIAN MARKETS?

All markets have their ups and downs and we have to adjust, but this time there’s a more profound trend of structural challenges that we have to address. Nobody can afford to be complacent in the current state.

THE THAVIBU IS KNOWN FOR PROMOTING VIETNAMESE, MYANMAR AND THAI ARTISTS. WILL YOU STILL WORK WITH THEM?

We’ve focused on these nationalities from the very beginning and some of the artists have become quite famous, such as Truong Tan in Vietnam, whose works have been collected by the Guggenheim Museum, and Nge Lay of Myanmar, who’s participated in numerous biennales. I will continue to work with these artists.

There are many galleries in Bangkok showing Thai contemporary art, so Thai art has good exposure. And some of the artists are already internationally famous.

I’m more concerned about the exposure of Myanmar and Vietnamese art. There are few good galleries in Yangon and Vietnam. Myanmar art is interesting on many levels, and the Vietnamese are among the best painters in Southeast Asia. I’ve been fortunate to work with them and hope to be able to continue to do so.

For the Thais, more local support is needed, both from private companies and collectors and from government agencies. In many countries, such as Singapore, there is strong public support for the arts, while in Thailand it’s mostly a private initiative.

Art, art production, exhibitions and promotion cost money. Public funding would nurture and help many more artists succeed on a wider stage. Success should be within reach for all talented individuals, not only those who can afford it.

AS AN EXPERIENCED DEALER, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE ROOKIE COLLECTORS?

The first advice is always to buy what you like. The next level would be to have a focus for your collection. And, thirdly, use books, galleries, museums, curators, the Internet and the artists themselves to learn more. Collecting is a process whereby you constantly have to study and keep up to date.

WHAT ARE THE CURRENT TRENDS IN COLLECTING CONTEMPORARY ART IN ASIA?

Market trends shift, but there are a few constants. First, the most populous countries have the largest markets, such as China and India. In Southeast Asia, Indonesia is the largest, followed by the Philippines. Thailand has the potential of being a major market for contemporary art since there are excellent artists here, but one drawback is that the artists sell much of their work directly to local collectors, so they don’t draw attention overseas.

I would encourage Thai collectors to buy their Thai art through international auctions, such as Christie’s and Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, to increase the visibility of Thai contemporary art internationally. This will generate more global interest.