Natcha Wongchanglaw is a Thailand-born, US-based visual artist focusing on photography. Wongchanglaw brings a professional background in studio and location portraiture to her current work as a visual artist. That experience has also included business management and recruitment, giving her a unique skill set that she has honed with advanced photographic coursework at Michigan State University and the Nikon School in her native Thailand, and more recently with her master’s in digital photography degree from New York’s prestigious School of Visual Arts. Currently, she is pursuing her MFA in Art Studio with a focus in photography and digital media at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Wongchanglaw utilizes her camera to explore the themes of home, culture, community, identity, and the relationship between people and places. To examine the formation of personal mythology, she often incorporates herself and her experiences as a reference.
Wongchanglaw is the 2020 grand prize winner of the Fujifilm Students of Storytelling contest, the winner of the 2020 Critics’ Choice Award - LensCulture, and the IPE 164 award recipient presented by the Royal Photographic Society. Her work has been included in national and international exhibitions, including The Flag Project 2021 and The Flag Project 2023 at Rockefeller Center presented by Rockefeller Center and Aperture Foundation, and City Harvest respectively, a public art show at The Presidio in San Francisco, LensCulture New York 2022, and the RPS International Photography Exhibition 164 in Bristol, the U.K. She is also shortlisted for the “Portrait of Humanity” by 1854 Media & British Journal of Photography, and is included in the Portrait of Humanity Vol 5 book. Her latest achievement is a winner of the Nikon Photo Contest 2022-2023.
EXHIBITIONS
2024 SIUE Arts & Design West Gallery, “Spectrum”, Edwardsville, IL (upcoming in May)
2024 The Sheldon Art Galleries, “Rights of Passage | Diaspora”, St. Louis, MO (upcoming in April)
2024 Noise Box Gallery, “Unveiled”, Edwardsville, IL
2024 Steinberg Gallery- Washington University, “12th Annual Combined Caucus Exhibition”, St. Louis, MO
2024 Art Saint Louis, “Varsity Art XXVIII Annual Exhibition”, St. Louis, MO
2024 SIUE Art and Design West Gallery, “Annual Student Juried Exhibition curated by Grant Benoit”, Edwardsville, IL
2023-2024 Shutter Hub & Cambridge University, Shutter Hub OPEN 23/24, Cambridge, UK
2023-2024 Angad Arts Hotel, “The 9th Biannual Exhibition”, St Louis, MO
2023 Wood River Museum, “Small Works Juried Art Competition”, Wood River, IL
2023 Soho Photo Gallery, “The 19th International Alternative Processes Competition”, New York, NY
2023 Nikon Photo Contest Museum Park, “Beloved”, Inaribashi Square, Shibuya Stream, Tokyo, Japan
2023 Ted’s World Of Imaging Gallery, “Award-winning works of the Nikon Photo Contest 2022-2023”, Sydney, Australia
2023 Shutter Hub, “YEARBOOK 2023”, UK
2023 Lenscratch, ”THE 2023 MOTHER EXHIBITION”, Online
2023 Rockefeller Center & City Harvest, “The Flag Project”, New York, NY
2023 The Royal Photographic Society, “International Photography Exhibition 164”, Bristol, UK
2023 St. Charles Community College, “MFA Invitational”, Cottleville, MO
2023 SIUE Art and Design West Gallery, “Annual Student Juried Exhibition curated by Francesca Passanise”, Edwardsville, IL
2022-2024 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, “Sculpture on Campus”, Edwardsville, IL
2022 YEARBOOK 2022, Shutter Hub, UK
2022 Goethe Institute Hong Kong, “10 Years Anniversary - Photographers for Social Change”, Hong Kong
2022 University of Cincinnati Reed Gallery, “New Tides”, Cincinnati, OH
2022 Wohls Gård Cultural Centre, “Photographers for Social Change”, Kirkkonummi, Finland
2022 PH21 Gallery, “Bodyscapes”, Budapest, Hungary
2022 Photoville, “NYC: CATS, COUCHES, PARKS & PIZZA” New York, NY
2022 Caelum Gallery, “LensCulture New York 2022”, New York, NY
2022 Angad Arts Hotel, “The 6th Biannual Exhibition”, St Louis, MO
2022 Washington University Lewis Collaborative, “Belonging: Cross River Art Exhibition”, St Louis, MO
2022 Framations Art Gallery, “Overlooked”, St Charles, MO
2022 Edwardsville Arts Center, “Cabin Fever 2022”, Edwardsville, IL
2022 SIUE Art and Design West Gallery, “Annual Student Juried Exhibition curated by Paula Lincoln”, Edwardsville, IL
2021-2022 Presidio, “My Park Moment photo contest”, San Francisco, CA
2021 The Indian Photo Festival (IPF) 2021, “The Print Swap by Featureshoot”, Hyderabad, India
2021 SVA Gramercy Gallery, “Recalled”, New York, NY
2021 Wood River Museum, “Small Works Art Competition”, Wood River, IL
2021 Wohls Gård Cultural Centre, “Photographers for Social Change”, Kirkkonummi, Finland
2021 Foley Gallery, “The Print Swap”, New York, NY
2021 Rockefeller Center & Aperture Foundation, “The Flag Project”, New York, NY
2021 Laurent Gallery, “The Print Swap”, Melbourne, Australia
2021 Matca Pictures, “The Print Swap”, Hanoi, Vietnam
2020 PhotoPlace Gallery, “Photomontage: Constructed Reality“, Middlebury, VT
2020 SVA Virtual Exhibition, “Parallel Adaptations,” New York, NY
2020 SVA Gramercy Gallery, “Parallel Adaptations,” New York, NY
2020 Photoville, “Thesis, Interrupted” New York, NY
2005 NCCA Gallery, “The Big Picture Project,” Fremont, MI
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
2024 SPE Student Award for Innovations in Imaging, Society for Photographic Education
2023 Selected Speaker, “2023 MWSPE Conference: Vantage Point”, Society for Photographic Education
2023 Artist nominees, 2024 Varsity Art XXVIII Annual Exhibition, St. Louis, MO
2023 Honorable Award, “Small Works Art Competition”, Wood River Heritage Council
2023 Nancy Wilson Award, the 2023 Friends of Art Auction, Edwardsville, IL
2023 Photo Story Category Winner, “Nikon Photo Contest 2022-2023”, Nikon Photo Contest
2023 Judge, Edwardsville 2023 Art Fair, Edwardsville Arts Center, Edwardsville, IL
2023 Shortlisted, “International Photography Exhibition 165”, The Royal Photographic Society
2023 Shortlisted, “Portrait of Humanity Vol 5”, 1854 Media & British Journal of Photography
2023 The Jeffrey S. Hammer, M.D. Memorial Scholarship, Ms. Jackie Johnsen Hammer
2023 Art Service Club Award, “Annual Student Juried Exhibition”, SIUE Art and Design
2023 Featured Speaker, “International Photography Exhibition 164 Open House”, The Royal Photographic Society
2022 Honorable Mention, “2022 Tokyo International Foto Awards”, Farmani Group
2022 IPE Award, “International Photography Exhibition 164”, The Royal Photographic Society
2022 Finalist, “Photolucida Critical Mass”, Photolucida
2022 Shortlisted, “International Photography Exhibition 164”, The Royal Photographic Society
2022 Selected Speaker, “2022 MWSPE Conference: Currents”, Society for Photographic Education (withheld due to time conflict with EAW XXXV)
2022 Selected Top 100, '“EAW XXXV“, The Eddie Adams Workshop
2022 Finalist & Grantee, “Sculpture on Campus”, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
2022 Selected Panelist - Grad Night, “2022 SPE Annual Conference”, Society for Photographic Education
2022 Annual Dr. Orville Joyner Photography/Digital Arts Award, Dr. Joyner and family
2022 Photo Club Award, “Annual Student Juried Exhibition curated by Paula Lincoln”, SIUE Art and Design
2021 Honorable Mention, “2021 Tokyo International Foto Awards”, Farmani Group
2021 Merit Award, “Small Works Art Competition”, Wood River Heritage Council
2021 Selected Work, “My Park Moment photo contest”, Photoville and Presidio Trust
2021 Honorable Mention, “Moscow International Foto Awards 2021”, Farmani Group
2021 Staff Pick Premiere - Centuries and Still, Vimeo
2021 Indigo Awards winners, “Rice 'N Fire by Chim Media, Inc.”, Marly Group Limited
2021 Geographic Enhancement Award (GEO), Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
2021 Selected Work, “The Flag Project”, Rockefeller Center & Aperture Foundation
2021 Winner, “Tokyo International Foto Awards 2020”, Farmani Group
2020 Winner, “Critics’ Choice Award 2020”, LensCulture
2020 Grand Prize Winner, “Fujifilm Students of Storytelling”, Fujifilm North America
2020 MPS Digital Photography Thesis Scholarship, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2005 Third Place, “The Big Picture Project,” Newaygo County Council for the Arts
2005 Honorable Mention, “The Big Picture Project,” Newaygo County Council for the Arts
2005 1st Place Winner - Performing Arts, “West Michigan Student Showcase,” Newaygo County Council for the Arts
2005 1st Place Winner - Group, “Talent Show”, Fremont High School, Fremont, MI
2005 2nd Place Winner - Solo/Duet, “Talent Show”, Fremont High School, Fremont, MI
PUBLICATIONS
2023, River Bluff Review 2023, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL
2023, Slideshow: Nikon Photo Contest 2022-2023 winners | Special Encouragement Award - Photo Story Category, Digital Photography Review, USA
2023, Nikon’s Photo Contest Winners Show Connection in a Fragmented World, Photography Life, USA
2023, Meet Natcha Wongchanglaw, VoyageMichigan, MI
2023, SIUE’s Wongchanglaw wins coveted award at world’s longest running photography exhibition, Illinois Business Journal, IL
2023, The Flag Project, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY
2023, Sofa-surfing Thai, Eye for the Light (EFTL) & Travel Photographer of the Year Ltd., Suffolk, UK
2023, Influence and Legacy, Aesthetica Magazine, York, UK
2023, Diverse Perspectives, Aesthetica Magazine, York, UK
2023, A Look at New York’s Couchsurfing Community, in Portraits, feature shoot, Sydney, Australia
2023, Portrait of Humanity Vol 5, British Journal of Photography & Hoxton Mini Press, East London, UK
2023, Vision 2022, coffee-table book, Bangkok Photographers Group, First Field Partners Co., Ltd., Thailand
2023, Limited Edition IPE 164 Zine, The Royal Photographic Society, Bristol, UK
2023, International Contemporary Photography Exhibition to open at Royal Photographic Society, Bristol24/7, Bristol, UK
2022, YEARBOOK 2022, Shutter Hub, UK
2022, SIUE to host photo exhibit in St. Charles, The Intelligencer, Edwardsville, IL
2021, River Bluff Review 2021, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL
2021, Recalled, SVA - MPS Digital Photography, Blurb, New York, NY
2021, The Flag Project, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY
2021, Dreamy Fine Art Photography at Tokyo International Foto Awards 2020, Farmani Group, USA
2020, Parallel Adaptations, SVA - MPS Digital Photography, Blurb, New York, NY
2020, Photomontage: Constructed Reality, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT
2020, Fujifilm Students of Storytelling: Natcha Wongchanglaw’s Look at New York’s Unexpectedly Diverse Cityscape, Rangefinder, USA
2020, Getting to Know Our Students of Storytelling Winners Part 3, Exposure Center, Fujifilm-x.com, USA
2020, Postcards from Fremont, self-published book, Pikto Inc., Toronto, Canada
2020, Self, coffee-table book, Bangkok Photographers Group, Blurb, Thailand
2020, One Hundred Days of Solitude, Bangkok Photo Walks Magazine Edition #64, Bangkok Photographers Group, Issuu, Thailand
2020, 2020 Vision, coffee-table book, Bangkok Photographers Group, Tananutr Printing, Thailand
2005, Showcase Winners, TimesIndicator, MI
2005, Talent - Front Page, Times Indicator, Fremont, MI