Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Contemporary Art
Adapting traditional themes to the secular canvas began around the turn of the 20th cen-
tury as Western influence surged in the region. In general, Thai painting favours abstrac-
tion over realism and continues to preserve the one-dimensional perspective of traditional
mural paintings. There are two major trends in Thai art: the updating of religious themes
and tongue-in-cheek social commentary. Some artists overlap the two.
Italian Corrado Feroci is often credited as the father of modern Thai art. He was invited
to Thailand by Rama VI in 1923 and built Bangkok's Democracy Monument and other
monuments in the city.
In the 1970s Thai artists tackled the modernisation of Buddhist themes through abstract
expressionism. Leading works include the colourful surrealism of Pichai Nirand and the
mystical pen-and-ink drawings of Thawan Duchanee. Internationally known Montien
Boonma uses the ingredients of Buddhist merit-making, such as gold leaf, bells and
candle wax, to create installation pieces.
Politically motivated artwork defined a parallel movement in Thai contemporary art. In
Thailand's rapidly industrialising society, many artists watched as the rice fields became
factories, the forests became as phalt and the spoils went to the politically connected.
Manit Sriwanichpoom is best known for his Pink Man on Tour series, in which he depic-
ted artist Sompong Thawee in a pink suit with a pink shopping cart amid Thailand's most
iconic attractions. Vasan Sitthiket is more blatantly controversial and uses mixed-media
installations to condemn the corruption. His works have been banned in Thailand and cri-
ticised as anti-Thai.
In the 1990s there was a push to move art out of museums and into public spaces. Nav-
in Rawanchaikul started his 'in-the-streets' collaborations in his hometown of Chiang Mai
and then moved to Bangkok where he filled the city's taxi cabs with art installations, a
show that literally went on the road. His other works have a way with words, such as the
2002 mixed-media piece
We Are the Children of Rice (Wine)
and his rage against the
commercialisation of museums in his epic painting entitled
Super (M)art Bangkok Surviv-
ors
(2004). Up-and-coming artists use a variety of media and take on more introspective
topics, like Maitree Siriboon who uses collage and photography to explore personal iden-
tity and sexuality. Thai-Japanese artist Yuree Kensaku creates cartoon-like paintings with
pop-culture references.
Thai sculpture is often considered to be the strongest of the contemporary arts. Khien
Yimsiri creates elegant human and mythical forms out of bronze. Manop Suwanpinta
