Last year, Marisa Srijunpleang, an artist from Surin, created the art exhibition "T360174" which showed how the Khmer Rouge genocide directly and indirectly affected her family. Recently, Marisa created the photo exhibition "Blooms With The Wind Blows", a continuation of her previous work.
In "T360174", a video depicts the Sandonta ritual where descendants offer food and paka bai ben flowers to ancestors. According to Marisa, paka bai ben flowers are a type of white grass flower with a fragrance similar to jasmine.
"I discovered that paka bai ben is not the name of the flower itself, but refers to the decorative grass flower offered along with rice in the Sandonta ritual. In this exhibition, I aimed to photograph grass flowers while travelling to search for my family history that was lost due to the genocide," Marisa said.
"My grandfather was not mentioned much in the previous exhibition because he passed away before I was born, so I do not know much about him. 'T360174' presents the story of my aunt who immigrated to the US, as well as my mother and grandmother. My mother took care of my grandmother who suffered from mental illness because of the war. After my mother told me that my grandfather passed way at Ban Lamphuk Refugee Camp, I decided to visit."
On the far right, Grow And Remember Me.
Marisa's grandfather was a Thai police officer who married a Cambodia woman -- Marisa's grandmother. The family tragedy happened when they travelled to Cambodia for the school summer vacation, but got stuck there. Marisa's aunt said that for their own safety, the family had to bury documents that showed that they were Thai. However, this caused difficulties because since they could not prove they were Thai, some family members such as her grandfather and her aunt had to stay in a refugee camp.
Born and raised in Surin, which borders Cambodia, Marisa feels connected to the cultures of both places. Her work involves folk wisdom which has been gradually disappearing, and the Sandonta ritual and paka bai ben may also one day disappear. Marisa began her family history search by googling Khao-I-Dang Learning Center in Sa Kaeo. The centre was also called the Khao-I-Dang Holding Center which was established in November 1979 to house Cambodian refugees in Thailand.
"I searched on Google and saw many emotional comments regarding the Khao-I-Dang refugee camp. Someone wrote how could I not give this place five stars when it was a place that gave me life. Another person wrote I was born here," she said.
An old wooden frame used for the funeral portrait of Marisa's grandfather. Hub Of Photography
"When I arrived at the Khao-I-Dang Learning Center, I had the opportunity to look at three guest books which recorded messages from 2016 to 2024. Many messages expressed their connection to the camp. A person wrote that they emigrated to the US and wanted to revisit the camp where they were born. Many people wrote that their grandparents and parents passed away in the camp. Next to the guestbooks, there were notebooks that listed names of people who died in Thai refugee camps. I believe the lists were created to help people search for their lost relatives," said Marisa.
Located in Surin, Ban Lamphuk Refugee Camp was another destination in Marisa's journey.
"An officer told me that there are no refugees left in the camp. All the residents are Thais. However, the Sandonta ritual is still held every year because residents feel that many spirits are not yet at peace," she said.
"Blooms With The Wind Blows" mostly depicts grass flowers Marisa photographed in her Surin neighbourhood, the Khao-I-Dang Learning Center, Ban Lamphuk Refugee Camp and her grandfather's former house in Cambodia. The photo Grow And Remember Me depicts monochrome grass flowers near Marisa's home. The photo is in an old wooden frame which was used for her grandfather's funeral portrait.
Pass The Bloomed Memory depicts the hand of Marisa's mother passing crown flowers to the hand of her grandchild. Marisa explained that the photo represents the passing down of stories from generation to generation. In the middle of the gallery, there is a pile of crown flowers.
Pass The Bloomed Memory.
"I am interested in crown flowers because they spread like grass flowers. Crown flowers are strong and can be found on the side of the roads. Despite hot weather or drought, they still grow. When I touched their pollen, I felt the presence of spirits and it reminded me of my late grandparents. During the trip to my grandfather's former home in Cambodia, I collected crown flowers," she said.
In addition to photos, a video in the exhibition presents a conversation between Marisa and her sister with a Cambodian woman who is the owner of her grandfather's former house.
"The 95-year-old woman had a Cambodian mother and Thai father. My grandfather's house is only 20-30km away from my place in Surin. When I spoke to the owner of the house, I could understand her better than when I conversed with Cambodian people in Siem Reap. Since this province, where the house is located, is not far from Surin, we share many traditions. They also hold the Sandonta ritual, while provinces far from Surin do not."
Thailand has often debated whether to accept refugees and give them citizenship.
Marisa said: "I agree on helping people and accepting refugees, especially in the case of wars. If Thailand denies refugees, it is like sentencing them to death. However, the government should also help refugees and immigrants adjust to their new culture and environment. When a refugee or an immigrant behaves badly, I believe it is an individual case. People should not judge all refugees to be alike and condemn them all."
A pile of crown flowers.
Although "Blooms With The Wind Blows" may seem difficult to interpret, Marisa hopes viewers can find a connection between the exhibition and war.
"I use photos of flowers because I believe that flowers are easy to understand. If viewers can connect flowers to the genocide in Cambodia, that is enough. It is not necessary to have a deep understanding or thoroughly understand the artistic process," Marisa said.
"Blooms With The Wind Blows" runs at Whoop! MMAD, Seacon Square Srinagarindra, until July 21. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/hubofphotographybangkok.
