Pattani artist striving for change
By Ho See Wah

In our new segment, Fresh Faces, we profile an emerging artist from the region every month and speak to them on how they kick-started their career, how they continue to sustain their practice and what drives them as an artist.

Could you talk about your background? And at what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in art?
Currently, I am an artist and a special lecturer at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Art, Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Pattani Campus. This is also where I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts.

I was born in the Trang province of southern Thailand and, as far as I can remember, I fell in love with the arts when I was four years old. I started to draw the cartoons I saw on TV, and my textbooks were full of pictures. I often represented my school in various art contests. As a child, I thought that art was just drawings and clay sculptures, and when anyone asked what I wanted to be in the future, I would say a doctor, a police officer or whatever most people would want to be when they grow up.

I came to know more about art when I enrolled at Nakhon Si Thammarat College of Fine Arts, though the focus was more on artistic techniques. It was when I enrolled in the Faculty of Fine and Applied Art at PSU that I met my artist family and knew more about the art world. I became more confident that this would be my path in life.

I create my works through a variety of media: painting, sculpture, mixed media, video, performance and more. They’re full of ideas and questions about the nation, religion, culture, politics, violence and the society in which I live. My body of work draws inspiration from Bangli, my best friend who is a bisexual. Bangli appears in almost every work as a symbol to express myth-making in Thai society.

Could you share how you’ve maintained your practice after graduation? What are the important factors that kept you going?
Honestly, I didn't plan on what I would be doing next after graduating. I only thought that I should continue to make and enjoy art. I have many stories to tell, which are difficult to speak about in real life and so I express them through art.

For me, art is the same as cooking. If you want to cook delicious food, you have to taste it often and try other people’s food from many places. You then take what you like from the tastings and you cook your own dish with the ingredients you have your way. When I enjoy it, and you enjoy it as well, I believe there is no way you would want to stop cooking.

‘Disguise’ at VS Gallery. Image courtesy of the artist.

How did the opportunity for your first solo show come about? What was the process like preparing for it?
My first solo exhibition was ‘Disguise’ at VS Gallery, from September to November 2019. It was about disguising myself from the socio-political conditions that were full of nationalistic beliefs. I only spent two months preparing for it and I felt that it wasn’t very eye-catching.

It happened because the director of the art gallery follows my work. He was interested in it and travelled to see me at a studio in Pattani. We talked and I agreed to display my works at his gallery. I was honoured to have Pichet Piaklin as the curator for my show, and we travelled to Bangkok together for the installation.

At the opening, I didn’t explain what the concept was to anyone, because the brochure probably said enough. More importantly, I’d rather have them listen to my work instead of me.

Who has been a mentor or an important artistic influence? And why?
The two important people I’ve met during my artistic journey are Pichet Piaklin, the pioneer of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Art at PSU, Pattani Campus, and Jehabdulloh Jehsorhoh, the founder of Patani Artspace. They are my instructors, my colleagues and my family. Aside from the books I read and films I watch, much of my experience and knowledge comes from my two teachers, and they’ve provided me with so many opportunities.

It’s natural that once you graduate, you will interact much less with your professors and your schoolmates. However, that’s not the case here. We're still an art family. We work together, have the same ideologies, talk to one another and share opportunities. My artistic path here is never lonely, as we have new undertakings together, and there’s always a reason to be excited though I know that life may separate us near the end.

The artist installing ‘Thai Construction’, 2018, painting, installation and performance, variable size, as part of ‘RE/FORM/ING PATANI’ at Patani Art Space. Image courtesy of the artist.

What was one important piece of advice you were given?
“Art is life” is a sentence that I hear a lot and it remains a source of debate for many people. For me, it’s a phrase that best describes art. It’s impossible to think that this is untrue, as you’d be saying that your life is totally devoid of art.

From the cave art of prehistoric times to the banana and scotch tape of the contemporary art world today, art has always been about a way of life. Functionally, it reflects society, serves religion, demonstrates beliefs, and of course there is the aesthetic, beautiful aspect to it.

When an artist creates a work, it reflects a fraction of life. I create art without worrying about what it can do, what it will give me, or whom it will be given to. I only think about expressing it.

Could you share your favourite art space or gallery in your country? Why are you drawn to that space and what does it offer to you or your practice?
There are plenty of art spaces in Thailand. Many of these are small in scale and founded by private entities. As for state-run places, they prefer a certain kind of art, and of course, artists with works that criticise society and politics would find it difficult to be exhibited, so speaking the truth becomes something these spaces fear.

In fact, in central Bangkok, there is the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). It is a large, beautiful space suitable for many types of art. However, it is managed centrally so it’s difficult for many artists to exhibit there unless you are especially invited. For me, it is not really a public domain.

It’s hard for us from the Deep South, or Patani, to have an opportunity to exhibit in such a kind of central space, so we built our own art space, Patani Artspace, founded by Jehabdulloh Jehsorhoh. It is a place for organising public events, building networks with people in the community, as well as other individuals from various professions. I had the honour of curating here, which changed my perspective. I gained new insights, better understood the art world, and importantly, saw how art can change society.

Anuwat Apimukmongkon, ‘BangLee on the 3rd of May (Dialogue with Francisco Goya)’, 2019, oil and gold leaf on canvas, 150 x 200cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

What are your hopes for your own local art scene, and regionally as well?
The Deep South of Thailand, where I live, is an area full of violence. A lot of people who don’t live here do not fully understand the issues, so the Patani art community strives to use art as a way to send our messages across, as a tool for protesting against the violence, and as a means for healing the hearts of our community members.

Our artworks are not aesthetic pleasing in a conventional sense, of bright skies and flowers. It requires decoding. Majority of people in society think art is about drawing beautiful images so it’s difficult for them to understand what we do, but we try our best to show them this other kind of art.

Previously, some people in our community asked what our works were, but now, they’re starting to understand that this can be considered art as well. Although they may not fully comprehend it, I believe that when they get more used to these kinds of art, they’ll be able to understand it eventually.

As for the art world, people are paying attention to the way our art reflects the issues of this region openly. Maybe it’s because the artists here use our own experiences and we convey them directly through our works. But, believe me, rather than hoping for a prominent art scene, we would rather have this area be peaceful.

My next project, which I am the curator for, is ‘Kenduri Seni Nusantara 2020’. It’s an art festival on the Malay region, themed ‘Overlapping Land’. It opens 1 August, and will feature more than 30 artists from Patani, Singapore, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. You can catch it at Patani Artspace, the town area, the beach, the garden, and everywhere else that art can exist in Patani, Thailand.