Last Friday inside the Singapore Art Museum, Pannaphan Yodmanee tiptoed around her giant art installation, an arrangement of ruins and pagodas scattered on the floor, as she tried to find the best spot for a portrait. Once able to set her feet down properly, the commotion started.
"Oh my god!" exclaimed a guide that was leading a group of tourists inside the exhibition room. "That's the artist! I recognise her! I saw her receive the prize last night!"
With a bashful smile, the 28-year-old was then faced with a horde of congratulatory remarks and snapping cameras -- something she might have to get used to in the long run. "The prize" the guide was talking about, was the 11th Benesse Art Prize that she won the night before.
For 10 iterations since 1995, the Benesse Prize was presented at the Venice Biennale to celebrate artists who embody an experimental and critical spirit in addition to a potential to develop a reflection around the theme of "well-being". This is the first time that prize has come to Asia to collaborate with Singapore Art Museum, organiser of the Singapore Biennale 2016.
Pannaphan's titanic work called Aftermath won the prize, beating out the other 62 artworks in the biennale. She is the second Thai artist to have received this award, with Rirkit Tiravaniya winning the fifth Benesse Prize at Venice in 2003.
"I feel very happy because I didn't expect that I'd get it," she said. "Since the start, I gave my all to this artwork because I was so excited to be part of the biennale. I still feel like I'm a kid in the industry, and it's such a good opportunity in my life. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to create artworks in the future anymore if I didn't give this my all."
The Nakhon Si Thammarat native and Silpakorn University graduate has been interested in art since childhood. Growing older, she frequented a temple near her house, soaking in traditional Thai arts taught to her by an abbot who graduated from the Poh Chang College of Arts. Pannaphan eventually learned how to master moulding, painting and even had the opportunity to paint large artworks in temple caves.
Pannaphan Yodmanee stands in front of Aftermath at the Singapore Biennale 2016 last January — a day after winning the 11th Benesse Prize. Apipar Norapoompipat
In Aftermath, you can see obvious links to her artistic training. A large section of the museum is taken over by Pannaphan's image of destruction and ruin. Buddha images and pagodas she cast are scattered about on wrecked brick, rock and concrete slabs. A large cracked and worn-out wall made from concrete sits behind the destruction. On it are Thai-style murals reminiscent of temple paintings, depicting an array of narratives like the mapping of the Buddhist cosmos collapsing, and the historic and violent history of Southeast Asia like the arrival of the immigrants and religious wars. The set-up, with her trusty team of classmates, took a total time of three weeks, but preparations beforehand took six months.
With this scene of destruction, Pannaphan wants to depict the consequences of what globalisation and cultural misunderstandings could create. It's essentially a morbid reminder to what can happen to a future world if humans continue to ignore their own misunderstandings. John Tung, assistant curator of the Singapore Art Museum who helped push Pannaphan to where she is today, says her work is "a very beautiful way of delivering an important message that the world needs right now".
The installation also examines, like most of her past works, the relevance of faith and religion in our lives. Her deep interest in religion, as she reveals, stems from the fact that "it's what the world runs on". From building cultures and civilisations to the act of war, religion has been a prime motivator.
"I'm seeing that … the one thing that creates peace and happiness is religion," she said. "But in the end, people use religion as a tool to hurt each other. It contrasts [with all of the scriptures]. Religion should make the world peaceful but it's the complete opposite. Religion isn't wrong, but humans pick up certain things to destroy each other, and humans still establish themselves as good. I'm still asking this question today, if we Buddhists in Thailand only worship the figure of Buddha? Why aren't we allowed to use these figures in artworks? We can't do anything with them. I feel that they're untouchable.
"I think that my work is quite satirical and sensitive," she continues. "I feel a bit worried, because I'm talking about religion. I'm not afraid of the foreign viewers. I'm afraid of the Thai viewers. There are organisations protecting Buddhism. There are people who go, 'Hey, how can you use religion like this?'. I'm preparing my mind for it. I've had negative feedback before. I'm not able to force them to like my work, so I just have to let go."
An earlier version of Aftermath is a piece called Prophecy, featuring slabs of ruins and little pagodas. It was shown at Bangkok Art and Culture Center as part of "Thailand Eye" exhibition in 2015.
Singapore, however, has been enthusiastic to play the role of a regional and international stage for artists. To Pannaphan, it has also provided her an insight to how a well-managed art industry can give struggling artists a path to go further.
"Over here they accept art in all forms, and they pull in many organisations to work together," she said. "I feel that if I go outside Thailand and I give it my all in the space that they give me, I'll have more opportunities to continue as an artist. I can't expect anything from Thailand as my works can only be put in museums, not galleries. There's no stage or opportunity.
"Thailand has a lot of quality artists, but we don't have good management. In the future I think it might be better. If every section helps each other and sees the importance of art more, we might be able to survive, or even be as equal to Singapore."
For the future, Pannaphan wants to continue creating art in all forms in order to continue examining her unanswered questions. Whether it be taking up ceramics, jewellery or even fashion, she's up for the task. But her next exhibition space, thanks to her win, will be at the Benesse Art Site Naoshima, Japan.
"I saw the space and I'm really excited," she said. "It looks raw and looks appropriate for my works, and it should be a challenge as well."
