Contemporary artist Tawan Wattuya's latest art exhibition, "Amnesia", is a revival of memories in watercolours.
His work will be on display from today until July 14 at the 1Projects gallery on Charoen Krung 28.
Art reviewers who have seen his paintings describe them as being closely entwined in, and inspired by, controversial socio-political issues in the country.
In "Amnesia", he tackles chronic political violence in the kingdom. His portraits represent people who were the victims of or were impacted by the suppression of political protests in the April-May 2010 unrest, in which over a hundred people perished.
The more you observe these images, the more you will find that the portraits are of real human beings; living, breathing characters.
These paintings represent the identities and characteristics of definite individuals. Although the pieces in this series are few in number in comparison to his other works, diversity in terms of age, class, gender and ethnicity are present and make up for this lack. Each exhibit encapsulates a different emotion. A few that become pretty obvious include calmness, determination, desperation and, the most obvious in such circumstances, pain. These are in contrast to the unpleasant, hostile and identical nature of the images of metal weapons that are on the opposite wall.
The work reflects Tawan's talent as an artist. "We comprehend him as simultaneously an 'outsider' and an 'insider'. His work is endowed with both a sense of distance, as if viewing the events from outside, and a sense of being unsettled and disturbed in a way that exceeds that of an observer," said one art critic.
Born in 1973, Tawan is based in Bangkok. He is best-recognised for exploring Thai social identities. He is interested in the situation of Thai society and the state of its fabric. His watercolour painting style is subtle and brash at the same time, both aesthetic and shocking.
The artist's interests cross a variety of fields, from subcultures and politics to fashion and animals, as well as humans and popular objects. He often draws inspiration from public images and current issues, which he critically and provocatively engages.
In his portraits, Tawan sharply criticises problems that have been affecting Thailand, and is known for choosing politically relevant, sometimes controversial, subject matter. His works reflect his vision of humanity losing its aspirations and ethics.
For more information, visit 1projects.org or email info@1projects.org
