Patt Yingcharoen, 26-year-old freelance artist and guest instructor, is displaying his third solo exhibition titled "La Tragedia" at Number 1 Gallery until Sept 26. The Silpakorn graduate, who owns Nopparat Cuisine and Gallery, is known for reinterpreting iconic imageries by Western art masters and putting his own spin on them. Beneath dramatic composition of his paintings always lies a meaningful message.
When did you discover your passion for art?
I remember drawing characters from Thai literature since I was in the lower Prathom level. My dad put a B20 banknote in my pocket as my daily allowance and I kept it so I can trace the image of garuda on its corner. When I read Ramakien, Three Kingdoms and the likes, I drew what impressed me about them until I had a stack of books with my sketches. When I grew older I became interested in painting techniques and starting using acrylic or oil. I also studied history and learned the works of masters in the past and they inspired me to become an artist full-time.
Why did you name your third solo exhibition "La Tragedia"?
'Tragedia' is Italian for tragedy. It could be a drama with sad outcome or a real-life sad story. It goes with how I work. Most of my works incorporate images from history to communicate something in contemporary context. It's like I'm penning my own play, in a sense, with incidents that have happened in a span of almost one year. Therefore, my works aren't fictitious dream-like plays but are tragedies based on true stories. Despite their dramatic compositions, they all carry the weight of the real world.
How did the idea for this exhibition come about?
This is the first series that I worked on without having a theme in mind going in. Towards the end of last year up until now, there have been so many major events on local and global scales. My works are basically responses to them so each one of them stands on its own because they are born out of different inspirations and talk about different things. When the time to put together a show came, I tried to find something they have in common. I find all of them are about sad stories. I look at my show as a book of tragic stories and each chapter is self-contained.
What do you do when you feel like there's too much negativity in your mind?
I think this year has been difficult for everyone. We're all affected by tragedies in one way or another. Things get postponed. Our travel plan are cancelled. My plan to exhibit my works outside Thailand was cancelled. During the lockdown, I felt our collective morale was low. The way I cope is, and this may sound strange, to stick to a daily routine with short-term, attainable goals in mind. I think that's essential to the well-being of our body and mind to have some kind of stability or predictability. I think we, as society, put too much importance on travelling or seeking excitement as a way to spark passion to drive us forwards but that may not be true. We tend to romanticise things. I think deep down human being needs a level of stability and predictability to feel whole.
How much does research play a part in your creative process, given your references from classic Western imageries?
My modus operandi is to assemble images to capture a moment in history and part of it is arranging stories or historical context attached to them. I have to do extensive research or else people may misinterpret my works.
What do you think about artists who are political in their works?
Artists are like everyone in society. Everyone is interested in different topics and they differ in opinions. However, when it comes to Thai politics, there's a price to pay if you want to say something about it. I think whether you agree with political expression the artists portray through their works, you have to give them kudos. By nature, artists are on the forefront of pushing boundaries and protecting freedom of speech.
On the other hand, artists don't have to express their political or social commentary through their works. However, they shouldn't be shied away from expressing their political stance. Art doesn't exist independently from other facets of society. It has always been like that. Art always has something to do with the zeitgeist of its time from Renaissance to American abstract. Also, staying silent is still a form of political expression.
How does history influence your art and your message?
I delved into history so I notice many massacres, including those committed by the authority against the innocent, and there are people who agree with those atrocities or justify them. It's so unbelievable that over thousands of years of history, we learn very little as similar tragedies keep happening. I don't see my works necessarily as a catalyst to bring about change. But if you see history that is laid bare in my works, in front of you, it may inspire people to think differently so we don't need to have the same tragedies repeating themselves.
Any messages to those who're interested in seeing your show?
My works may seem to be laden with historical references but they are presented in a straightforward manner. I believe in post-modernism concept that content of an artist's work is dependent from her/himself. Everyone can give their own meaning or interpretation on my works and find joy in them. They may not necessarily come away with an eye-opening experience but I'm confident that they won't be disappointed.
