Nospace like this for artists

youthful energy courses through Nospace, a gallery that gives freedom to artists to create the way they want to.

Alady in her early twenties ushers in a group of young bohemian-types from the outdoor courtyard into a claustrophobic room.

The crowd - which, from what I can tell, is largely composed of English speakers - whispers and waits, until a spotlight hits a figure lying on the floor.

Wrapped in saran wrap (cling film) and sporting a pair of panty hose over his face, the mystery man slowly frees himself from the kitchenware bondage.

Another gentleman behind a wall does the same, until the two actors - now wearing nothing but black spandex - are left facing the somewhat puzzled crowd.

Odd noises are made and a balloon flies out toward the stage. As it collapses on one of the performers' chest, a red liquid splatters onto the white wall behind him. Another balloon springs forth. And another. Before I know it, a basket with these weapons is being passed around and just about everyone is pelting the stage.

This performance, I have gathered, is one of many works of art being presented for the first anniversary of Nospace gallery, an indie art space that hosts everything from traditional art exhibits to performance art and concerts.

A few days after the anniversary, I found myself back at Nospace, talking to Bank, a youngish-looking Thai who founded and runs the gallery. A generally upbeat guy who enjoys a good beer, he can often be seen sporting a worn black suit with a skinny tie, though when I spoke to him, he was wearing paint-stained shorts and a Nospace T-shirt.

Facing graffiti of a rodent in a gas mask - "rats all folks!" it reads - Bank worked on his second bottle of beer, while describing the risk he took with the gallery. "You're going to go bankrupt for sure," he recalls his friends predicting, back when Nospace was just a concept.

Luckily for fans of indie art, Nospace survived - though only barely. To celebrate that, many artists who had displayed their work at the gallery returned for the anniversary, unveiling new works of art.

"The concept of Nospace," Bank says, "is that artists have got everything. They got artwork, creativity and they can do anything. They just need a space to do it in." As Bank sees it, Nospace gives artists that space, while rewarding youthful enthusiasm. "I really love young artists," he said. "They really work hard. They have energy and they are fresh and they will do anything."

To further fuel this creative energy, Nospace encourages artists to make their own space. "In some galleries, you cannot put nails in the wall," he said, "but here you can do anything - you can put nails in the wall, you can throw colours on the wall, whatever you want to do, you can do it."

This freedom has taken a toll on the house, which has a more idiosyncratic - some might say dingy - appearance than an average gallery. "The feeling is it's different from other galleries," Bank says. "It's not the perfect space with white walls or something. It's more like a house."

Nospace does have a house-like air about it - though it might be described more accurately as college dorm room-esque. With its dusty courtyard and its barren interiors, the gallery is a far cry from the squeaky clean art spaces of upscale shopping complexes. Paintings hang from peeling walls, dirt stains prominently feature on the floors and the passageways between rooms look as if someone tore a hole through the wall rather than build a proper door.

One might say - at the risk of sounding cliched - the atmosphere at Nospace is one of "anything goes". I certainly got that impression when, halfway through my interview, I noticed a tall, muscular man dangling upside down from the ceiling, twirling in every conceivable direction with the help of two sheets. I could not hide my amazement, but for Bank, this display was practically banal. "Oh, that," he explained nonchalantly, "it's between performance and the circus. It's like exercise."

As he described the future of Nospace, Bank interrupted himself to ask if I play chess. "We're going to make an event," he says. "And we're going to set up the Nospace master. And if you beat the master, then you can earn a prize." I could not tell whether he was joking, but the idea would certainly fit within the Nospace universe, in which, originality is key and weirdness a pre-requisite.

Chess or no-chess, Nospace is well worth a visit for those interested in a different kind of art gallery.