Echo

By Sujin Wattanawongchai

At The Art Center, Center of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University

February 1 – March 16, 2013

Opening Reception: Friday February 1, 6.00-9pm

Artist Talk: Thursday February 7, 1.30-3pm

Transforming an echo inside his mind into abstract paintings that reflect the world around him, Sujin Wattanawongchai continues his exploration of relationships between the place, time, space and perception. Over 20 artworks on display are by-products of the artist’s observation of his surroundings, through growing, living and working in both urban and rural spaces, as well as through traveling and exhibiting overseas. Whether they are harmonious, conflicting or obscure, these phenomena became his inspirations, which are then portrayed with color and text, inviting the viewer to find meanings for themselves.

Artist Statement

The title of this exhibition brings attention to my on-going exploration of relationships between the place, time, space, and perception.

Bangkok is the multicultural city where I grew up, live and work. Also, I have set up another studio in the countryside in Nakhon Pathom. I love working both in Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom.

“In my childhood, I grew up in a Chinese family on my father’s side who lived in the city and experienced all kinds of Chinese culture there. During summer, I stayed with my mom’s parent in the countryside where I got to see real Thai lifestyle, too. Therefore, I have both cultures in me. Whether contrasting or harmonious, the two cultures became unity.”

Nowadays, we mostly read texts from the Internet instead of books and we text friends instead of talking to them. Our behavior has changed. Human life is much busier than before and also lonelier at the same time. I observe the patterns of people’s lives during workdays. The explorations suggested something autobiographical. I used texts as art—be they Thai, Chinese and English, encoding them as my experiences of the everyday life, which then reflect something on both local and global contexts.

I render lines, texts and colors, inspired by what I see in everyday life. The waving lines become complex patterns and forms, which suggest multiculturalism in the city from my perspective. Small letters deceive the eyes as lines, textures, rhythm, harmony and contrasting colors, but when you look closely you will see they are words. This emphasized our actions and belief. We see thing really fast and we cannot get hold of its meaning. Also, this feature of the works creates senses of ambiguity. My works represent drawing as painting, text as art, and visual language as abstract. How the paintings were created resulted in a sense of simplicity, energy, sound and vivid life.

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