Value is created.
12/06/13
Media: Aluminium beverage cans
Size: 50 x 50 cm
This sculpture is a found object piece, which means that it is created from regular everyday objects that usually don’t serve an artistic purpose. The object I chose to create my sculpture out of is Aluminium beverage cans. The beverage cans I used were the ones I found in different trashcans around Bangkok. These cans are no longer wanted, I thought it would be a good idea to use them to represent something worthless, or without value. At the center of the piece is a crushed can. It is no longer wanted and is clearly trash, however, there are three hands reaching out to grab it. The hands turn something worthless like a crushed can from the trash to something desirable and valuable. I wanted to symbolise how arts value doesn’t exist and that humans give it its value. Have you ever been to an art museum and looked at a neo-classical painting then in the same museum look at a modern art piece? The neo-classical painting is clearly more impressive but these two pieces are being displayed in the same museum and their value, in terms of price is similar. This shows that art has no value; its value is created or given.
Value is created (2d)
Media: Pen
Size: 30 x 40 cm
Completed: Jan 2014
A 2D version of the sculpture was required and so I drew this piece using pen. This drawing is based on the found object sculpture made from aluminum beverage cans that I created a few weeks ago. Shepard Fairey whose artwork was on one of my favorite t-shirts inspired the style of the drawing. I Really like his graphic style and decided to try to imitate it in this piece. After I finished drawing the hands, I thought that the piece looked to plain and so I decided to draw a background. I thought of Andy Warhol’s painting of Campbell’s soup and decided to replace the soup cans with aluminum cans instead because the sculpture that I was trying to portray was created from aluminum cans
Size: 30 x 40 cm
Completed: Jan 2014
A 2D version of the sculpture was required and so I drew this piece using pen. This drawing is based on the found object sculpture made from aluminum beverage cans that I created a few weeks ago. Shepard Fairey whose artwork was on one of my favorite t-shirts inspired the style of the drawing. I Really like his graphic style and decided to try to imitate it in this piece. After I finished drawing the hands, I thought that the piece looked to plain and so I decided to draw a background. I thought of Andy Warhol’s painting of Campbell’s soup and decided to replace the soup cans with aluminum cans instead because the sculpture that I was trying to portray was created from aluminum cans
The universe exists between your ears.
Media: Mixed Media
Size: 75 x 48 cm
Completed: Jan 2014
There was a scene in one of my favorite movies, Inception, where Arthur (Joseph Gordon Levitt) was inside of a dream, in which he got shot in the foot. The person who shot him, Mal, could have pointed the gun towards Arthur’s head, but she didn’t because in Inception, killing someone in a dream would cause them to wake up. She chose to shoot Arthur in the foot because as she said, “pain is in the mind”.
This line from the movie really got me thinking, and inspired this sculpture. Pain and everything else comes from our mind, and the only way we can get what is out in the world into our mind is through our senses. We can never prove that our senses are accurate in portraying the world outside our mind because this world is created in out mind. We can’t even prove that there is a world beyond our mind. You might be imagining everything; the sculpture in front of you, this building, or the universe. Reality might not look like what you see.
The background is my attempt to display what I think reality looks like. Our five senses as represents by the silver pieces of the sculpture changes that into the world we are experiencing right now. A world with colors, shapes, sounds, tastes, and smells.
Size: 75 x 48 cm
Completed: Jan 2014
There was a scene in one of my favorite movies, Inception, where Arthur (Joseph Gordon Levitt) was inside of a dream, in which he got shot in the foot. The person who shot him, Mal, could have pointed the gun towards Arthur’s head, but she didn’t because in Inception, killing someone in a dream would cause them to wake up. She chose to shoot Arthur in the foot because as she said, “pain is in the mind”.
This line from the movie really got me thinking, and inspired this sculpture. Pain and everything else comes from our mind, and the only way we can get what is out in the world into our mind is through our senses. We can never prove that our senses are accurate in portraying the world outside our mind because this world is created in out mind. We can’t even prove that there is a world beyond our mind. You might be imagining everything; the sculpture in front of you, this building, or the universe. Reality might not look like what you see.
The background is my attempt to display what I think reality looks like. Our five senses as represents by the silver pieces of the sculpture changes that into the world we are experiencing right now. A world with colors, shapes, sounds, tastes, and smells.
Thai culture.
Media: Acrylic paint
Size: 45 x 35 cm
Completed: Aug 2013
This painting is inspired by a Thai artist, Jirapat Tasanasomboon, who combines western pop culture icons with traditional Thai characters with the purpose of symbolizing the influence of western culture in Thailand. I was really fascinated by this idea, which lead me to do further research on western influences in Thai culture. I read an article online about foreign influences in Thailand and discovered that Thai culture has always been a mixture of foreign culture that made its way to Thailand by the Silk Road. This is what I wanted to display. The Buddha represents India’s contribution to Thai culture. The Chinese lamp represents the Chinese contribution. And the Renaissance neck brace represents western contribution.
Size: 45 x 35 cm
Completed: Aug 2013
This painting is inspired by a Thai artist, Jirapat Tasanasomboon, who combines western pop culture icons with traditional Thai characters with the purpose of symbolizing the influence of western culture in Thailand. I was really fascinated by this idea, which lead me to do further research on western influences in Thai culture. I read an article online about foreign influences in Thailand and discovered that Thai culture has always been a mixture of foreign culture that made its way to Thailand by the Silk Road. This is what I wanted to display. The Buddha represents India’s contribution to Thai culture. The Chinese lamp represents the Chinese contribution. And the Renaissance neck brace represents western contribution.
MOm.
Media: Photography
Size:
Completed: Sept 2013
A few months ago, my family moved to Bangkok from Canada. Our lives have changes dramatically. The biggest change of all is probably my mother going back to work. Back when we lived in Canada, my mom did not work; she was a housewife. However, now that we are back in our country, my mother has resumed her work. This change is huge because prior to this my mother has always been there to take care of me but now that she is working, we spend less time together and although she is still my mother, our relationship has changed.
The posture in the two photos is almost exactly identical. The difference is that one is shot in black and white and the other one has color. My mother also has a completely different look in these two photographs. This is supposed to display the contrast between my mother when we were living in Canada and my mother now.
Size:
Completed: Sept 2013
A few months ago, my family moved to Bangkok from Canada. Our lives have changes dramatically. The biggest change of all is probably my mother going back to work. Back when we lived in Canada, my mom did not work; she was a housewife. However, now that we are back in our country, my mother has resumed her work. This change is huge because prior to this my mother has always been there to take care of me but now that she is working, we spend less time together and although she is still my mother, our relationship has changed.
The posture in the two photos is almost exactly identical. The difference is that one is shot in black and white and the other one has color. My mother also has a completely different look in these two photographs. This is supposed to display the contrast between my mother when we were living in Canada and my mother now.
the routine life.
Media: Film
Length: 2:53 minutes
Completed: Feb 2014
Machines are created to perform specific functions. Even though they are not alive their lives are a repetition. I feel that a lot of our lives are a repetition as well. We do things routinely. We repeat actions everyday and nothing changes. Our lives are boring. We wake up, go to school or work, come back home, sleep and repeat this process all over again the next day. In this short film I wanted to show that we are no different from the machines we create and at the end of the short film, the protagonists hand actually turns into a robot hand.
Length: 2:53 minutes
Completed: Feb 2014
Machines are created to perform specific functions. Even though they are not alive their lives are a repetition. I feel that a lot of our lives are a repetition as well. We do things routinely. We repeat actions everyday and nothing changes. Our lives are boring. We wake up, go to school or work, come back home, sleep and repeat this process all over again the next day. In this short film I wanted to show that we are no different from the machines we create and at the end of the short film, the protagonists hand actually turns into a robot hand.
Lotus.
Media: Paper, acrylic, metal wire, foam
Size:
Completed: April 2014
When you really think about it a cross is just two pieces of sticks nailed together, the star of David is just two triangles on top of each other and the crescent moon and the star are just shapes. We give those shapes their meaning. The shapes or pictures in it of itself are totally arbitrary to their meaning. I was walking around in downtown Bangkok and I saw a Swastika symbol on a wall. I was really shocked, Nazis in Bangkok? Then I went to check what the symbol represented and it turned out that the place was a Hindu temple. As a 20th century history major that symbol brings to my mind Hitler and the Nazi party when in fact it is much older, Hinduism and Buddhism. In this piece I wanted to show the audience that meaning is totally arbitrary to shapes. I folded paper into random geometric shapes, mounted them on metal wires and asked my classmates what they thought these shapes meant. I got all sorts of answers from them. Because the shapes are black a lot of my classmates said that they represented darkness and death. Some said they looked like lotus flowers and they linked this to Buddhism. Of course they had no idea that the shapes really had no meaning and their reactions were very interesting. I guess that this piece is a sort of experiment on the way we create meaning in the things we see around us and I think that it was a success because I got my classmates to think about the various things and how we as people assign them their meanings.
Size:
Completed: April 2014
When you really think about it a cross is just two pieces of sticks nailed together, the star of David is just two triangles on top of each other and the crescent moon and the star are just shapes. We give those shapes their meaning. The shapes or pictures in it of itself are totally arbitrary to their meaning. I was walking around in downtown Bangkok and I saw a Swastika symbol on a wall. I was really shocked, Nazis in Bangkok? Then I went to check what the symbol represented and it turned out that the place was a Hindu temple. As a 20th century history major that symbol brings to my mind Hitler and the Nazi party when in fact it is much older, Hinduism and Buddhism. In this piece I wanted to show the audience that meaning is totally arbitrary to shapes. I folded paper into random geometric shapes, mounted them on metal wires and asked my classmates what they thought these shapes meant. I got all sorts of answers from them. Because the shapes are black a lot of my classmates said that they represented darkness and death. Some said they looked like lotus flowers and they linked this to Buddhism. Of course they had no idea that the shapes really had no meaning and their reactions were very interesting. I guess that this piece is a sort of experiment on the way we create meaning in the things we see around us and I think that it was a success because I got my classmates to think about the various things and how we as people assign them their meanings.
Strings.
Media: Acrylic on wood
Size:
Completed: May 2014
This piece was inspired by the political situation in Thailand at the time. People around the country were protesting the government at the time accusing them of corruption and demanding their resignation. There is also another group of people who are in support of the government and these two groups of people nearly clashed in downtown Bangkok. The anti-government protestors were called the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) and the people who are in support of the government are called the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship more commonly known as the Red Shirts. At first when I was looking at the situation, I was inclined to take the side of the PDRC because my mother is a member of the opposition party and most people from my social class such as my classmates and their families all supported the PDRC. I even went to one of the demonstrations at the Democracy monument in downtown Bangkok with my mother. When I was there I felt really moved by the speeches made by Suthep (PDRC leader). Being surrounded by thousands of people who share a common purpose was a very strange feeling, very powerful. And then after a few minutes of feeling an intense emotion I had a realisation. As I looked around the crowd I suddenly felt very distant from these people. I tried for a moment to remove myself from the crowd and look at the situation without the influence of my mother's political views that has shaped mine since I was young. I realised that all the speeches and the cheering were all for one purpose, to gain power. I realised that Suthep and the leaders of the PDRC where using people in order to get rid of the party they were opposed to. They were using the voice of the people to gain control of the country. Its the same for the other side as well. This whole conflict that was going on in Thailand was nothing more than a struggle for control over the country using the voices of the people as weapons. I wanted people to see what their leaders were doing, tricking them and turning the country against each other. I tried to do this through my art.
Size:
Completed: May 2014
This piece was inspired by the political situation in Thailand at the time. People around the country were protesting the government at the time accusing them of corruption and demanding their resignation. There is also another group of people who are in support of the government and these two groups of people nearly clashed in downtown Bangkok. The anti-government protestors were called the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) and the people who are in support of the government are called the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship more commonly known as the Red Shirts. At first when I was looking at the situation, I was inclined to take the side of the PDRC because my mother is a member of the opposition party and most people from my social class such as my classmates and their families all supported the PDRC. I even went to one of the demonstrations at the Democracy monument in downtown Bangkok with my mother. When I was there I felt really moved by the speeches made by Suthep (PDRC leader). Being surrounded by thousands of people who share a common purpose was a very strange feeling, very powerful. And then after a few minutes of feeling an intense emotion I had a realisation. As I looked around the crowd I suddenly felt very distant from these people. I tried for a moment to remove myself from the crowd and look at the situation without the influence of my mother's political views that has shaped mine since I was young. I realised that all the speeches and the cheering were all for one purpose, to gain power. I realised that Suthep and the leaders of the PDRC where using people in order to get rid of the party they were opposed to. They were using the voice of the people to gain control of the country. Its the same for the other side as well. This whole conflict that was going on in Thailand was nothing more than a struggle for control over the country using the voices of the people as weapons. I wanted people to see what their leaders were doing, tricking them and turning the country against each other. I tried to do this through my art.
War & peace.
Media: Spray paint on wood
Size:
Completed: July 2014
During the summer of 2014, the thing that was mostly talked about in the news was the Arab Israeli conflict that was going on. Here is a brief history of the on going conflict between the Arabs and the Jews in the Middle East. Arabs and Jews both have some claim over the land. The arabs were there since the 7th century and the Jews had lived there in historic times but were forced to leave by the Romans. In the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, however, the Jews came back to their homeland which was now inhabited by the Arabs. Ever since then there had been violence in Palestine now Israel. This summer conflict broke out when a few Arab Palestinian teenagers were killed by the Israelis. This sparked violence from Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group in the Gaza strip. They fired rockets into Israel and as a response the Israel fired rockets back into Gaza and there had been constant exchange of missiles from the two countries. This event inspired me to do a piece about war. Being a history major, all I study about is war and diplomacy between countries and in my 1 year in IB history I learned that people go to war a lot. There are also times of peace but somewhere is the world, there is always war. History for me is just a constant shift from peace to war and war to peace. There is never lasting peace and never lasting war. War means a state of armed conflict and peace means the absence of war. When you think about it the two cannot really exist without each other. War can't exist without peace and peace cannot exist without war. Its like light and darkness or life and death.
Size:
Completed: July 2014
During the summer of 2014, the thing that was mostly talked about in the news was the Arab Israeli conflict that was going on. Here is a brief history of the on going conflict between the Arabs and the Jews in the Middle East. Arabs and Jews both have some claim over the land. The arabs were there since the 7th century and the Jews had lived there in historic times but were forced to leave by the Romans. In the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, however, the Jews came back to their homeland which was now inhabited by the Arabs. Ever since then there had been violence in Palestine now Israel. This summer conflict broke out when a few Arab Palestinian teenagers were killed by the Israelis. This sparked violence from Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group in the Gaza strip. They fired rockets into Israel and as a response the Israel fired rockets back into Gaza and there had been constant exchange of missiles from the two countries. This event inspired me to do a piece about war. Being a history major, all I study about is war and diplomacy between countries and in my 1 year in IB history I learned that people go to war a lot. There are also times of peace but somewhere is the world, there is always war. History for me is just a constant shift from peace to war and war to peace. There is never lasting peace and never lasting war. War means a state of armed conflict and peace means the absence of war. When you think about it the two cannot really exist without each other. War can't exist without peace and peace cannot exist without war. Its like light and darkness or life and death.
part i, Confined.
Media: Acrylic on Canvas
Size:
Completed: Aug 2014
Ever since I was little, my passion has always been in visual arts. I started creating art when I was pretty young. I think the reason I really like art was because it gave me a chance to create something that I could call my own. Art was a place where I could do essentially anything I wanted, it was a place where I was free. And then as I got older my interest in art led me to studying it more seriously. As I got older however, I found out that art really isn't free at all. When I was young they would give you some paint or crayons and would say "create what you want" but now I can just create something I want. I have to take into consideration what other people would feel about it. I also have to take into consideration the technical elements of it. Now, art is about creating something that follows rules and conventions. I have to think about the composition, the texture, the value and the tone. Art is supposed to be about the artist and what he or she wants to do, not about pleasing other people or following rules. I don't like talking about the technical side of art because I feel like art does not need to rely on reason and rules, it should rely purely on the emotions of the artist. This is the message of this piece. The eye at the centre represents the artist, who is "trapped in a box" which is ironic since the artists are supposed to be the creative ones who "think outside the box". The "box or is depicted in this painting as patterns to represent reason and order.
Size:
Completed: Aug 2014
Ever since I was little, my passion has always been in visual arts. I started creating art when I was pretty young. I think the reason I really like art was because it gave me a chance to create something that I could call my own. Art was a place where I could do essentially anything I wanted, it was a place where I was free. And then as I got older my interest in art led me to studying it more seriously. As I got older however, I found out that art really isn't free at all. When I was young they would give you some paint or crayons and would say "create what you want" but now I can just create something I want. I have to take into consideration what other people would feel about it. I also have to take into consideration the technical elements of it. Now, art is about creating something that follows rules and conventions. I have to think about the composition, the texture, the value and the tone. Art is supposed to be about the artist and what he or she wants to do, not about pleasing other people or following rules. I don't like talking about the technical side of art because I feel like art does not need to rely on reason and rules, it should rely purely on the emotions of the artist. This is the message of this piece. The eye at the centre represents the artist, who is "trapped in a box" which is ironic since the artists are supposed to be the creative ones who "think outside the box". The "box or is depicted in this painting as patterns to represent reason and order.
part 2, bounded.
Media: Acrylic on Canvas
Size:
Completed: Sept 2014
After completing my previous piece, "Confined", I decided I wanted to do another piece that had a similar concept. I came up with the idea of doing a three part series talking about similar ideas and having similar styles. This piece is the second of the series. I tried to include the same patterns as I did in the previous one. I was lucky to have the stencils I made for the previous piece with me so I used it here as well and it worked out pretty good. The concept behind this piece is the same as "Confined", however, instead of talking about art and its restrictiveness I wanted to now talk about society in general. I recently read a novel called 1984 by George Orwell and it basically about the futuristic dystopian world where people are subject to oppression by a communist state called Oceania. I was particularly interested in this novel because there were a couple of similarities between Oceania and Thailand under the military government. This inspired me to paint and as a result we have this painting. In 1984, people were not allowed to express themselves in anyway and they were forced to think a certain way about everything. Although 1984 is just a novel I think that these problems are very real. All around the world people are being denied their right to express themselves the way they want to and forced to conform to society and obey the rules that are oppressive.
Size:
Completed: Sept 2014
After completing my previous piece, "Confined", I decided I wanted to do another piece that had a similar concept. I came up with the idea of doing a three part series talking about similar ideas and having similar styles. This piece is the second of the series. I tried to include the same patterns as I did in the previous one. I was lucky to have the stencils I made for the previous piece with me so I used it here as well and it worked out pretty good. The concept behind this piece is the same as "Confined", however, instead of talking about art and its restrictiveness I wanted to now talk about society in general. I recently read a novel called 1984 by George Orwell and it basically about the futuristic dystopian world where people are subject to oppression by a communist state called Oceania. I was particularly interested in this novel because there were a couple of similarities between Oceania and Thailand under the military government. This inspired me to paint and as a result we have this painting. In 1984, people were not allowed to express themselves in anyway and they were forced to think a certain way about everything. Although 1984 is just a novel I think that these problems are very real. All around the world people are being denied their right to express themselves the way they want to and forced to conform to society and obey the rules that are oppressive.
part 3, rise.
Media: Acrylic on canvas
Size:
Competed: Oct 2014
This is the final piece of the three part series. It's called "Rise". This is sort of the conflict resolution piece. The tension that has been built up in the previous two pieces are now released. In the previous two, I talked about oppression that an artist faces and the oppression that all of us face in society. In this piece, I am talking about pushing back and resisting. Although it is hard, sometimes I try not following the rules in art and do my own thing. I try to break free from the restrictiveness of the art world and really try to express my self in my own way. These small little rebellious acts are for me a way to fight back a little bit. Even if its a little its still in my opinion better than sitting passively and doing things that society tells you to do. This for me is my "Rise".
Size:
Competed: Oct 2014
This is the final piece of the three part series. It's called "Rise". This is sort of the conflict resolution piece. The tension that has been built up in the previous two pieces are now released. In the previous two, I talked about oppression that an artist faces and the oppression that all of us face in society. In this piece, I am talking about pushing back and resisting. Although it is hard, sometimes I try not following the rules in art and do my own thing. I try to break free from the restrictiveness of the art world and really try to express my self in my own way. These small little rebellious acts are for me a way to fight back a little bit. Even if its a little its still in my opinion better than sitting passively and doing things that society tells you to do. This for me is my "Rise".
maktub.
Media: Spray paint, strings, acrylic on canvas
Size
Completed: Nov 2014
This piece was inspired by a novel I read called "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. The reason I really liked this novel was because it was much different than the novels that I am reading in IB Literature. All of the books in Lit class are all super anti-romantic and depressing. We read the Great Gatsby in which the protagonist, the only character who believed in hope gets shot at the end. The Awakening, where the protagonist realises how meaningless life is and drowns herself in the ocean. The Bluest Eye where the protagonist gets raped by her father and faces a series of events and rejections that ultimately lead to her loosing her mind. This book, "The Alchemist" however, is much different. Its a beautiful story of a boy and his quest of self discovery and chasing his dreams. The novel spoke of the limitless possibilities of life and that everyone is destined to achieve their dreams if only they chased after it. The novel was so inspirational that I had to do a piece about it and here it is. First I think I have to explain the arabic writing at the bottom. Well, it says Maktub, which in arabic means decreed, or pre determined. In "The Alchemist", this phrased is used to convey the message that everyone is destined to achieve the dreams, it has been written in the stars. This is why I also chose the stars and the moon in the background. Whenever I look up at the sky at night, I always get overwhelmed by the vastness of the universe and its infinite possibilities, the infinite possibilities that the novel was talking about.
Size
Completed: Nov 2014
This piece was inspired by a novel I read called "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. The reason I really liked this novel was because it was much different than the novels that I am reading in IB Literature. All of the books in Lit class are all super anti-romantic and depressing. We read the Great Gatsby in which the protagonist, the only character who believed in hope gets shot at the end. The Awakening, where the protagonist realises how meaningless life is and drowns herself in the ocean. The Bluest Eye where the protagonist gets raped by her father and faces a series of events and rejections that ultimately lead to her loosing her mind. This book, "The Alchemist" however, is much different. Its a beautiful story of a boy and his quest of self discovery and chasing his dreams. The novel spoke of the limitless possibilities of life and that everyone is destined to achieve their dreams if only they chased after it. The novel was so inspirational that I had to do a piece about it and here it is. First I think I have to explain the arabic writing at the bottom. Well, it says Maktub, which in arabic means decreed, or pre determined. In "The Alchemist", this phrased is used to convey the message that everyone is destined to achieve the dreams, it has been written in the stars. This is why I also chose the stars and the moon in the background. Whenever I look up at the sky at night, I always get overwhelmed by the vastness of the universe and its infinite possibilities, the infinite possibilities that the novel was talking about.