Mark Sweetland, also known by the moniker SAMEBOAT©, is a Canadian award-winning, internationally recognized contemporary artist based in South East Asia. His artwork has been exhibited and sold all over the world. He is the son of renowned Toronto illustrator and commercial artist Jim Sweetland (also known in the art world as King James). Mark is self-taught. After a solo journey through South East Asia, he relocated to Thailand in 2005 where he earned his Bachelor of Arts with highest honours at The Institute of International Studies at Ramkhamhaeng University. He speaks Thai fluently, and also taught himself to read and write the language. In 2013, Mark became the first non-Thai national to receive the prestigious Silpathorn Award from Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for a series of artwork on His Majesty King Bhumibol the Great. In 2017, Mark received the Jean-Michel Basquiat Prize for outstanding achievements in Art. Among his most famous works are ‘Fermat’s Spiral’, currently on display at the Saatchi Gallery in London, and ‘King Bhumibol The Great’, which set a record at auction in 2017 and is now in the private collection of Yusaku Maezawa. He founded the SAMEBOAT© art movement in 2018 and is credited with pioneering the ‘chawp’ technique. Mark has also had a successful career in teaching and mentoring. He holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (International) with merit from The University of Nottingham, and for the past several years has been teaching at an international school in Thailand where he has settled down with his Chinese wife, Dao (a.k.a. ‘The Dao’), who also acts as his personal art director, manages his portfolio and isn’t actually Chinese. He shut the doors at Studio 55 and said goodbye to Floyd, his beloved brick wall, in August of 2024 and moved to a beautiful new studio overlooking a lake where he enjoys kayaking in the evenings. Several projects are on hold while the Supalai Grand Lake Studio is still under renovation, however Mark has been continuing work on his most ambitious project yet, titled ‘The Flip Side’, which will be on display with other recent works in an upcoming exhibition at the BACC scheduled for March of 2026. This will be another collaboration with artist Journey Inland™. The pair discussed their plans on a recent episode of their private podcast and reflected on their previous exhibition. The 2024 SAMEBOAT© X Journey Inland™ exhibition titled ‘What Difference Does It Make?’ was a flop according to multiple reviews in the Thai media. Art critic Nattanak Chualgai from BKK ART MAG remarked, “It bravely explored the space between intention and execution… and stayed there, lost.” Art curator Wachal Ladatittiporn from ART4D commented in a recent interview, “I don’t think these guys are serious about their art. It all just seems like one big joke, and now I’m getting the feeling that I’m a part of it somehow.”
