THE EXHIBITION OF THAIWIJIT PUANGKASEMSOMBOON, WHOSE PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES REFLECT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANITY AND NATURE. IT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT BEHAVIORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE DESTRUCTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES
TEXT: TUNYAPORN HONGTONG
PHOTO: KETSIREE WONGWAN
(For Thai, press here)
It is widely known among those who are plugged into the art scene that Thaiwijit Puangkasemsomboon’s work is a kaleidoscope of bright colors and freewheeling brushstrokes that exude a playful energy. His art is a playground of experiments, incorporating discarded materials and ready-made objects, often blurring the lines between pure artistry and functional design.
But while we’ve long admired these signature flourishes, it’s only in the past four or five years that Thaiwijit’s eco-conscious impulses have taken center stage. It all kicked off with his 2020 solo exhibition at Gallery VER, titled ‘The Leftover,’ where he transformed leftover materials into a multitude of creations. Then, at the Bangkok Art Biennale 2020, he unveiled ‘Escaping the Tiger, Meeting the Crocodile,’ wielding a Thai proverb to spotlight the cyclical frustrations of tackling environmental issues—solve one problem, and another rears its head. In 2021, he reimagined ‘Escaping the Tiger, Meeting the Crocodile’ as a sculpture for ART for AIR, an art festival in Chiang Mai dedicated to raising awareness and spurring collective action against the PM2.5 pollution that has been affecting the northern region for over a decade. That same year, his solo exhibition ‘One Generation Plants the Trees, Another Gets the Shade’ at WarinLab cleverly borrowed its title from a Chinese proverb, perfectly encapsulating the thematic focus of the show.
I revisited these past exhibitions, knowing that they would enrich my appreciation and understanding of his latest solo showcase, ‘Untamed Melody Part 1,’ currently running at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok Art Space by MOCA Bangkok. This exhibition marks a reunion between the artist and Rirkrit Tiravanija, who resumed his role as curator following their prior collaboration on ‘The Leftover.’
In ‘Untamed Melody Part 1,’ Thaiwijit rolls out 60 portrait paintings and 6 sculptures. The paintings, which commandeer most of the gallery space, initially come off as individual portraits of people from various professions—artists, pianists, economists, and so on. Upon closer examination of each painting’s title, it becomes evident that the artist hasn’t simply labeled them with professional titles. Instead, the names are definitions of beliefs and actions these individuals embody, including terms like Materialist, Commercialist, Colonialist, Consumerist and three paintings titled Capitalist.
Tie this in with his earlier environmentally charged exhibitions, and the picture becomes starkly clear. These seemingly respectable societal figures, through their beliefs and deeds, contribute to the destruction of natural resources, from unchecked consumption, business practices that bulldoze nature, and the exploitation of other countries to siphon off natural assets for profit.
This is Thaiwijit’s intention—to reflect the relationship between humanity and nature through his bright, buoyant paintings. This isn’t a tale of mutually supportive relationship, but quite the contrary. Humans have evolved in leaps and bounds—technology, knowledge, creativity—but our daily actions are steadily eroding the natural world we inhabit.
Suddenly, when you view it through this lens, those vibrantly and playfully colored portraits—sometimes abstract, other times sketched with geometric, cubic lines—morph into distorted faces with ominous, unfriendly eyes.
However, the artist likely doesn’t want to place the blame for environmental destruction solely on ‘them.’ He aims to prompt viewers to reflect on their own actions as well. In the painting series titled ‘Consumerist,’ a slew of portraits lines one wall, flanked by two side walls adorned with small mirrors. When standing before the ‘Consumerist’ pieces and glancing left or right, you’re met with your own reflection. This setup suggests that while we’re observing those faces, perhaps we’re actually seeing ourselves.
Besides the paintings, the exhibition features six sculptures. Notably, three of them share the same title: ‘Capitalist.’ These pieces represent the capitalists—the powerful individuals steering the ship of modern society. All three sculptures are crafted from discarded materials and ready-made objects. The first resembles a crane hoisting a glitzy, gold-sequined women’s handbag. The second is a mask, and the third is a full-body figure sporting glasses (bearing a subtle resemblance to Thaiwijit himself), with several ribbons dangling from one arm. Inscribed on the ribbons are idealistic environmental buzzwords like ‘sustainable,’ ‘environmentally friendly,’ ‘zero waste,’ ‘pesticide-free,’ and ‘plant-based.’ Viewing these three sculptures together, it’s hard not to think the artist is calling out the glossy image capitalists project versus their actual deeds. Sometimes, those lofty words may just be a facade—a form of greenwashing—to make them appear commendable.
‘Untamed Melody,’ currently showing at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok Art Space by MOCA Bangkok, is Part 1 of the exhibition and runs until January 5, 2025. In addition, this month, Taiwijit is also opening another exhibition, ‘Untamed Melody Part 2’, which is open from today until January 26, 2025 at MOCA Bangkok. For those curious about what Part 2 will bring, you’ll have to venture to the other side of the city to find out.
