Art is in the Details

The 57th National Art Exhibition has been on show at the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre for several weeks now. The exhibition is also an art competition. The first time I went there I was very much awestruck by the pieces, so I went back there yesterday to take photos, which I'm sharing here.

By the entrance of the exhibition is Phanee Phoudom's 'Society of Consumerism'.

Also near the entrance is Sittichoke Wichian's 'Kite and Bond No. 2', a mixed-media installation employing traditional kite techniques.

This massive piece is entitled 'Woods (Painting Embellished with Glass No. 2)' is by Kajondet Niwyin.

This is my BF's favorite, a very intricate, and presumably tedious, drawing on canvas by Jiratchaya Pripwai called 'Meditation Therapy No. 1'. The piece is huge, so you can only imagine how much time was spent on this amazingly executed drawing.

My favorite, on the other hand, is Suporn Kaewda's 'Formation of One Thing Lies on the Deterioration of Another No. 3', a 2.5 x 3.5 meter oil pastel on canvas. I believe this is the Grand Prize winner. The ripples of the water are very mesmerizing as they are, but if you look closer the ripples are in fact made up of detailed drawings of mythical aquatic creatures (at least that's how the figures look to me).

I was mainly drawn to the paintings that were heavily detailed, such as Attapon Seetrongprasert's 'Heritage No. 1', which looked like it was made of ancient hieroglyphics.

Also intricate is Hathairat Rodkeaw's 'Southern Path No. 2', which used acrylic tempera on rubber. The "leaves" have drawings of monks, fish, and other cultural aspects of Southern Thailand on them.

There's also something raw about the Wiwat Jindawong's 'Agricultural Way of Life No. 5', a drawing measuring a massive 2.6 x 2.95 meters.

Equally massive (1.92 x 3.5 meters) is Pradit Tungprasartwong's 'Panna or Wisdom: Means of Survival' (oil on canvas). I guess this is also one of the winning entries, but I find it somewhat gimmicky for my taste.

Not as big (only 1.83 x 1.11 meters), but with heavier impact on me, is 'Self', a digital print and hand-cut paper by Kamolpan Chotivichai.

Among the sculptures, of which there are many, Surasok Sannung's 'Sustainable Happiness No. 1' made a very good impression. It used local pottery techniques.

I was also struck by the rigidity of the angles of 'State of Surrender', a fiberglass casting by Pangsak Nateetornmongkol.

My favorite sculpture there is Yutthasilp Siritap's 'Suffering from Malignant Disease'. The size is stunning, rendering it so much power. The subject of fierce dogs and hungry crows tearing apart a man's body into pieces has such a visceral impact on me. It was placed near the end exhibit, a fitting conclusion to a celebration of the talent of Thailand's artists.

And some more photos....