Life in Situ: Inside the Minds of BurgBarnBuri Artists in Khaoyai, Thailand
Nestled just a few hours away from the bustling city of Bangkok, BurgBarnBuri Art Space presents its inaugural open-air exhibition, Life, curated by the Thai owner duo Thirasak and Jaruwan Tanapatanakul. This unique exhibition showcased a remarkable selection of renowned Thai artists who have masterfully blended their artistic expertise with the serene ambience of BurgBarnBuri. Through their artistry, visitors were invited to explore the depths of artists’ materiality and contemplate the profound connections between art and our existence.
Thirasak Tanapatanakul in Life.
Life brought the essence of togetherness and celebrated eight renowned Thai artists' extraordinary practices. The artists - Udom Udomsrianan, Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch, NaiDee Changmoh, Sriwan Janehuttakarnkit, Somluk Pantiboon, Yuttana Sittikan, and Thong Yalahla - installed their captivating artworks in the polder landscape. Each extremely diverse, ranging from paintings and sculptures to ceramics and interactive installations, the artworks included transcended the experience of nature. Each piece offered a different perspective on beauty, complexity, and fragility today.
“Burgbarnburi’s inaugural art exhibition showcased the work of myself, my family, and other notable artists in the Thai art community. Udom Udomsrianan’s guidance and inspiration over the years has made this exhibition possible.”
Burgbarnburi Art Space, established in 2008, is situated in a quaint village near Khao Yai's Natural World Heritage in a serene meadow by a creek. Thirasak and Jaruwan Tanapatanakul envisioned the space as a haven for artists to nurture their ideas and for visitors to savour moments of contemplation. To delve further into the backstory and inspirations behind Burgbarnburi, continue reading here.
Professor Thavorn Ko-Udomvit, the National Artist of Thailand of 2021 and eight other exhibiting artists from Thailand. Photo by Burgbarnburi Art Space.
Life encompassed all aspects of BurgBarnBuri's material culture, including textiles, ceramics, paintings, sculptures, nature walks, and drawings inspired by plants and soil. The entire exhibition was divided into three open-air spaces. The first space featured sculptures by Thirasak Tanapatanakul, Naidee Changmoh, Thong Yalahla, Udom Udomsrianan, and Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch.
This walk-in tree installation Lichen and Bacteria, created by Thirasak Tanapatankul, the artist and co-owner of Burgbarnburi, features a set of speech-bubble ceramics that incorporate textual elements to create a dynamic and engaging reading experience. It is a forest of tree ancestors remarking its existence with small ceramic weights.
“The life itself is a total work of art – it deserves homage once in a while”, says Thirasak. “For me, it was both an art installation and a call to action”. This tree-inspired work, when taken as a concept of protection and peril, serves as a haunting prompt for the public to rethink their relationship to nature and reflect on art, activism, and the climate emergency.
Thirasak Tanapatanakul, Lichen, 2023.
Thirasak Tanapatanakul’s interactive live insect installation Peepcada (2023) literally digs into the ground and, in the process, reconnects with the soil, insects, and other present ecologies. Absorbing the residue of the site they made, each insect sculpture in Peepcada was deliberately installed inside five cylindrical hollows made of resin, epoxy, metal, glass and cement. Peepcada allows the viewer to look through, interact and learn about the cohabitation of each insect through sound. Peepcada challenges our perception of space and invites the public to contemplate Tanapatanakul’s harmonious relationship with Burgbarnburi's environment and living things.
Thirasak Tanapatanakul, Peepcada, 2023. Photo by Burgbarnburi Art Space.
Standing on the axis of Burgbarnburi’s garden space, Udom Udomsrianan showcased his ambition to embody the stillness of nature and reflect the spirit of the natural world through his contrasting black-and-white sculptures. These sculptures feature a fluid, anthropomorphic shape made from ceramics, encouraging visitors to explore and discover Udomsrianan’s craftsmanship.
As one circled the outdoor spaces of Burgbarnburi, Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch's Ai Jood (2023) stood out with its striking sculpturally-dotted aesthetics. Inspired by Wasinburee's beloved stray Dots Dog, the work was carefully recreated with breathtaking detail specifically for Burgbarnburi. Throughout the years, Wasinburee replicated Ai Jood in various sizes. This moving piece informed Wasinburee’s intention to capture the endearing relationship with his dog.
Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch, Ai Jood, 2023. Photo by Burgbarnburi Art Space.
The second space, also known as the ‘Burgbarndee Garden’, encompasses the mixed-media works of Naidee Changmoh, an artist and sculptor from Phrae province in Thailand. Though his main interest has always been in ceramics and cast in bronze, this time, Changmoh decided to take a unique and innovative approach to Life by exploring new materials and techniques: steel welding and sewing works.
“This new body of work, Fabric Story, explored the transformative nature of my artwork as I embraced a wider array of materials to bring my creations to life. The selected materials for this showcase were steel welding and intricate sewing work, ushering in a fresh sensibility to my creative process. Through this exploration, I was compelled to think, create, and develop more playful, inventive, and profound artworks.”
Upon viewing the works of Naidee Changmoh and Thong Yalahla within this space, it became apparent that both artists embody Buddhist philosophical sentiments that promote positive thinking, peace, and balance. Their works reflect intrinsic values and strive to inspire others who seek their spiritual path in life.
Naidee Changmoh, Fabric Story, 2022. Photo by Burgbarnburi Art Space.
Thong Yalahla, Sansabai, 2022. Photo by Burgbarnburi Art Space.
Moreover, Thong Yalahla’s Sansabai and Thirasak Tanapatanakul’s Peace and Joy (2010) metaphorically represent Buddha's journey towards spiritual transformation, where simplicity is sufficient, bliss is within, and frugality is plenty. These core values align with Burgbarnburi's community-driven approach to learning mindfulness and back-to-basic living.
Thirasak Tanapatanakul, Peace and Joy, 2010. Photo by Burgbarnburi Art Space.
The third space of the exhibition serves as a workshop area that brings together the cross-dimensional and experimental works of the Tanapatanakul family, encompassing kinetic sculptures, ceramics, mixed-media drawings, and animation videos. In addition, Udomsrianan’s etching works, alongside objects created by Yuttana Sittikan, Somluk Pantiboon, and Sriwan Janehuttakarnkit also featured in this space.
Somluk Pantiboon’s Seed combines traditional Japanese aesthetics with northern Thai techniques to create minimalist ceramic work, whereas Udom Udomsrianan's artwork is not as minimal as it appears. The monochromatic palette and convexo-concave shapes in Udom’s works provide ample matter and space for meditation, reflecting his versatility and affection for etching that he has mastered over the years.
Somluk Pantiboon, Seed, 2007.
Inspired by the Buddhist teachings of Luang Pucha Suphattho, associated with meditative practices and consistent mindfulness, Sriwan Janehuttakarnkit's Utopia (2022) contemplates the nature of humans beings and being humans by blending the contemporary and traditional methods of Thai painting in her ceramic work. Utopia’s vibrant imagery of mythical elephants, lotus flowers and natural landscapes depict her interest in Buddhist art, reflecting her cultural and local identity as a Chiangrai-based artist.
Sriwan Janehuttakarnkit, Utopia, 2022. Photo by Burgbarnburi Art Space.
Contrasting Yalahla's Sansabai and Udomsrianan's life-sized sculptures, Wasinburee’s porcelain tiles Untitled Blue and White (2023) are also discreetly placed on the central pillars of the workshop space, weaving Ratchaburi clay and Chinese classical aesthetics into the site of Burgbarnburi. Ultimately, Wasinburee’s locally-inherited porcelain creations at his family’s ceramic factory Tao Hong Tai have always been his natural progression, and his expertise then later extends to installation, photography, and sculpture. Adorned with cobalt swirls, frills and flowers, Wasinburee's exotic craftsmanship evokes Chinese creamy porcelain and earthenware in the seventeenth century.
Life, thus, does not only promote Thai artists’ creative professions but also serves as something of a time capsule for this moment. Simultaneously, this custom art space further highlights the alternative and creative dimensions of Burgbarnburi with mindful activities, giving both Thai and foreign audiences a tranquil and thoughtful appreciation of Khaoyai's art scene.
Thanarat Asvasirayothin
Contributing Writer, MADE IN BED