Confrontation: Three Elements of Life
Confrontation: Three Elements of Life
By Pradit Tungprasartwong
At The Art Center, Office of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University
On display from December 20, 2013 – February 8, 2014
Opening Reception: Friday December 20, 2013, 6.15pm-8.30pm
Pradit Tungprasartwong’s art is a combination of three-dimensional work (sculpture) and two-dimensional work (painting), creating what is known as “combine painting” (which first emerged in Western art in the mid 20th century). The artist adds daily-life and specifically-made objects and materials to his paintings to convey his messages.
With a BFA in sculpture, Pradit shifted to painting for his MFA at Silpakorn. At present, he is a lecturer at the College of Fine Arts Ladkrabang. His education allows him to see possibilities in combining the two genres to create his art.
Pradit began to seriously develop his combine paintings in 2002, starting with “Thinking of My Grandmother” and “Work Is Dharma Practice”. For “In My Recollection” in the following year, he chose objects that correlated with the realistic painting to expand the perception of the viewer, linking the representative painting to the non-representative objects. Even though what he presented was not new, he excelled at emphasizing how ordinary objects were able to invite the viewer to enter into a complex esthetic, thinking, and interpreting experience conceived with the Southeast Asian mixed-media flair.
The exhibition “Confrontation: Three Elements of Life” introduces life experiences and philosophy based on three human states: (1) kilesa—anxiety, fear, anger, jealousy, desire, depression, etc., (2) the truth, and (3) irresolution/vacillation. These concepts are based on Buddhism and reflect how the artist has personally applied Buddhist teachings to heal the chemical imbalance in his brain. Therefore, “Confrontation: Three Elements of Life” creates a dialogue about what the artist sees and experiences and the three states the artist constructed for the viewer to perceive. It raises awareness and begs questions about life and living that all humans, regardless of their nationality or class, can understand.
Above all, this exhibition expands the definition of Thai mainstream contemporary art, artistic expressions and ideas by reexamining local settings and the traditional way of art making.
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Exhibition: Confrontation: Three Elements of Life
By Pradit Tungprasartwong
Ondisplay: 20 December 2013 – 8 February 2014
Open Reception: Confrontation: Three Elements of Life
20 December 2013
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