Art Arya

Art Arya
Born
Araya Indra

(1971-08-30) August 30, 1971 (age 53)
NationalityThai
Alma materSilpakorn University
Occupations
  • Drag performer
  • Designer
  • Stylist
  • Television personality
Television

Araya Indra (Thai: อารยา อินทรา), known by the stage name Art Arya (born August 30, 1971),[1] is a Thai drag performer, designer, and stylist. She is a judge and former host of Drag Race Thailand. She has worked in the fashion industry for three decades and has appeared on two seasons of The Face Thailand.[2] She has been described as one of Thailand's most famous drag queens.[3]

Early life

Art Arya was born on August 30, 1971 in Bangkok to a Thai family with Chinese ancestry.[1] She had her first experience with makeup at the age of ten in elementary school.[1]

Career

Art Arya studied art and fashion design in Bangkok and France. In 1988 she began studying at Silpakorn University in Bangkok; as part of a hazing ritual in her first year she was forced to dress in women's clothing for entertainment. Afterwards, Art Arya began wearing women's clothes around campus and focusing her studies on fashion.[1]

Art Arya moved to Paris in the early 1990s to continue studying fashion. She first heard RuPaul's "Supermodel (You Better Work)" at Le Queen nightclub in 1992 and became intrigued by western conceptions of drag performance. Her fascination with RuPaul meant that she had followed RuPaul's Drag Race since its debut season in 2009 prior to becoming host of Drag Race Thailand in 2018.[1] When Drag Race Thailand returned for its third season in 2024, Art Arya became a rotating permanent judge with her co-host Pangina Heals assuming full hosting duties.[4]

She worked for Lanvin for a number of years in Paris before returning to Bangkok to work as a freelance designer and fashion stylist.[1] As of 2018 she serves as the creative director of the Thai label THEATRE.[2]

Filmography

Television

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Vilhena, Arthur (3 August 2021). "Who's That Queen? ArtArya". Draglicious. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Meet Art Arya & Pangina Heals, the fierce queens hosting 'Drag Race Thailand'". Archived from the original on 2021-05-31. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  3. ^ "The RuPaul's Drag Race spin-off you probably haven't seen". BBC News. 2018-04-07. Archived from the original on 2021-09-12. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  4. ^ Chantan, Vichayuth. "Get to know the cast of 'Drag Race Thailand Season 3'". Lifestyle Asia. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  5. ^ "VIETNAM'S NEXT TOP MODEL 2014 | TẬP 8". YouTube. 29 December 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2024.