About
I was born in Bangkok, Thailand, but my family moved to the Netherlands when I was still very young. I grew up in The Hague and graduated in 2017 from the ArtScience department at the Royal Academy of Art. My upbringing was deeply rooted in Thai culture, largely thanks to my mother, who cared for me and my sister while introducing us to our heritage. She often took us to Buddhist temples in the Netherlands, where we were surrounded by other Thai immigrants. These experiences immersed me in Thai culture and Buddhism, where I learned about the life of the Buddha through comics, participated in rituals, and offered food and drinks to monks.
As I grew older, I became increasingly aware of the outside world and Dutch culture. My education was steeped in science and Western values, allowing me to explore art and develop a dual sense of belonging—both to the Netherlands and to my birthplace. Although I still reside in the Netherlands, I frequently return to Thailand. Each visit reveals how technology, consumerism, and globalization have transformed Thai religious practices and rituals.
In my artistic practice, I reflect on my identity and position within these two worlds. My work draws connections between three core concepts: Buddhism, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing. These latter two not only inspire my art but also serve as methods of production. The result is a body of work that fuses Asian futurism, pop culture, and religious themes. A prime example is my sculpture, "He is a blessed one" (2022), crafted from multiple 3D prints. The design is inspired by a window from a Thai temple, which I optimized through a simulation aided by artificial intelligence to withstand physical loads. By experimenting with the values of these loads, AI generates forms that appear to have organic origins. This is further emphasized by the use of red epoxy in the sculpture, resembling blood, and adorned with woven textiles and plastic flowers, often seen around altars or sacred Bodhi trees in Thailand.
One artist who profoundly inspires me is Rirkrit Tiravanija, whose work reflects a multicultural background similar to my own. During his solo show "A lot of people" at the Luma Foundation in Arles, I encountered his multimedia sculpture titled "untitled 1981-1982 (gor for gài) (spirit house) (preaching from the west)." In this piece, Tiravanija creates a san phra phum, a traditional Thai spirit house meant to honor spirits and gods for protection over homes and businesses. Unlike conventional spirit houses made of wood or stone and decorated with traditional motifs, Tiravanija employs metal plates that leave only the silhouette. Inside the piece, a tape recorder plays a Buddhist mantra, merging technology with this ancient tradition.
The origins of the san phra phum are rooted in animism, where offerings of fruit, flowers, candles, incense, and even red Fanta are made in exchange for protection, success, or luck in love. The use of red Fanta as an offering symbolizes a contemporary substitute for blood that was historically used in rituals. Tiravanija's use of non-traditional materials reflects the influence of globalization and consumerism on Thai culture and religion.
Additionally, I came across an article from Chulalongkorn University titled "A Space to P(r)ay," which discusses how shopping malls in Bangkok serve both commercial and spiritual purposes, featuring altars and prayer spaces that acknowledge Buddhist holidays. This juxtaposition of the mall, a symbol of commerce and materialism, starkly contrasts with the Buddha’s teachings on the suffering caused by material desires. This paradox highlights how the design and use of social spaces intertwine local religion, economic systems, popular culture, and technology.
A striking example of this integration is seen in the character Doraemon, a blue robotic cat from Japan, which has become fully embedded in Thai culture. In the temple Wat Sampa Siw in Suphan Buri, for instance, this blue cat is depicted alongside saints portrayed with computers and iPads. Other temples, such as Wat Sri Suphan in Chiang Mai, feature facades decorated with metal plates shaped by Thai artisans, showcasing narratives from the life of the Buddha alongside characters from the Marvel franchise. In Chiang Rai, the white temple Wat Rong Khun boasts murals depicting figures from Star Wars and The Matrix mingling with Thai gods and mythical beings.
In my artistic journey, I seek similar intersections, merging sublime stories from both Thai and Western cultures. Beyond exploring Thai culture, religion, and traditions, I also study shifts in religious iconography in the West. The sublime has been depicted throughout Western art history by artists like Bernini, Caspar David Friedrich, and Barnett Newman, where social and technological changes in Western society catalyzed various representations of the divine.
In our current era, a new element has emerged in the lexicon of the sublime, embodied by the unknown potential of artificial intelligence. This technological advancement significantly impacts our lives and will continue to shape our future, becoming a crucial aspect of my artistic practice. Futurist Ray Kurzweil speculates that we may be on the brink of a technological singularity, a moment when artificial intelligence could surpass human cognitive abilities. This transformation of code and physical components into a supernatural entity parallels the Buddhist concept of nirvana, a state of liberation from samsara, the cycle of birth and rebirth.
Nirvana represents the moment the soul is freed from this cycle. In his book, "The Age of Spiritual Machines," Kurzweil describes a future where artificial intelligence could enable the upload of human consciousness to a computer, allowing us to assimilate into software, shedding our physical bodies like attaining nirvana. These parallels between humans and machines also resonate with the concept behind 3D printing, a technique I frequently employ in my art. This method is based on the idea of a self-replicating machine, which can improve itself using materials from its environment, reminiscent of the Buddhist notion of reincarnation.