Organised by Thai Beverage Plc, the art competition White Elephant Award returns with an exhibition with the theme "Biodiversity". Among numerous artworks, two art pieces, Land Of Life (wooden block) by Teerapon Phopaesri and Diversity Within Dominated Condition (a sculpture made from lead, steel, paper mache and resin) by Chaiyan Ninlabon won the White Elephant Prize and the Grand Prize, respectively.
While Teerapon had never participated in the White Elephant competition before, Chaiyan had won third prize in 2022. Both artists were surprised with the results.
"When the White Elephant announced the winners, I initially did not see my name on the list because it was on top of the list. I did not expect my name to be all the way up there. I was excited and overwhelmed. I called my parents in Roi Et to tell them the good news and they cried," said Teerapon.
"I was surprised. I did not expect to win the Grand Prize. I expected to receive an honourable mention prize, so I could receive funds and continue to create another artwork," said Chaiyan.
Since both artists created artwork related to animals and nature, they are quite close to nature. Teerapon grew up in Roi Et with parents who are farmers. He said his hometown does not change much. When he visits his parents, he still sees animals that he used to see during his childhood. However, Chaiyan, who has lived in the Ladkrabang area for many years stated that the suburb has rapidly changed as the city has expanded into the area.
Land Of Life by Teerapon Phopaesri
Winner of the White Elephant Award
Teerapon is a self-taught printmaking artist. During his undergraduate years at Roi Et Rajabhat University, he learned to be a painter, but after graduating, he moved to Nakhon Pathom and became acquainted with two well-known printmaking artists, Jakkee Kongkaew and Teppong Hongsrimuang. He worked with these artists and was impressed with their remarkable skills. He learned by observation and began to create his own work.
Teerapon Phopaesri, winner of the White Elephant Award.
"Many art collectors purchase works created by Jakkee and Teppong. That made me realise that I could make a living by creating printmaking like them. It took me three to four years to get where I am now. I have been teaching myself printmaking through trial and error. At first, the results were not good, but I kept practising and observing the works of many artists as well as asking Jakkee and Teppong about their techniques," said Teerapon.
Land Of Life is a wooden block that depicts a landscape of a fantastical world with skyscrapers and many living creatures including humans, aquatic creatures, mammals and birds floating in the air. Land Of Life demonstrates Teerapon's dedication and craftsmanship since it showcases a diverse array of life forms and each creature is depicted in exquisite detail.
"Land Of Life is presented in a panorama view to depict diverse forms of living creatures and habitats. All the living creatures are floating in air to symbolise the concept of equality. I hope my work represents how people and animals can share space in the world fairly," explained Teerapon.
The White Elephant Award is the largest prize in Thailand since it offers a one-million-baht cash award to the winner. Teerapon said he has to manage the cash carefully to pay for his tuition since he is now a graduate student at the Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts at Silpakorn University. He also has to budget the funds for art equipment to create his work.
Teerapon hopes that visitors will see his effort in his work.
"I hope that viewers can feel the energy that I put into my work, notice the effort that went into the engraving and relate to my work. My future goal is to create high-quality artwork as much as possible."
Diversity Within Dominated Condition by Chaiyan Ninlabon
Winner of Grand Prize Award
Chaiyan is a guest lecturer at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang and a full-time artist. He has won several awards including the Excellent Prize at the White Elephant Art Award in 2022 and the Oita Asian Sculpture Award in 2016.
Diversity Within Dominated Condition by Chaiyan Ninlabon, winner of the Grand Prize Award. (Photos courtesy of Chaiyan Ninlabon)
Diversity Within Dominated Condition depicts a bathtub which resembles a jungle with a patch of water and a variety of animals including a whale, crocodiles, an iguana, a toad, a snake and many birds. This award-winning sculpture demonstrates his proficiency in the art of sculpting animals from a wide range of materials such as lead, steel, paper mache and resin.
"When most people hear the theme, Biodiversity, they usually visualise a beautiful image of diverse creatures living together. However, I wanted people to see another aspect which is a negative aspect of biodiversity. The bathtub symbolises the negative effects that people inflict on living organisms.
"The bathtub is full with animals that are controlled by people. People may keep an exotic pet such as an iguana, a snake or a toad. As for crocodiles, they are kept by people in zoos and farms. As for the whale, I wanted to show that people can control this huge animal to live in a certain area. The bonsai is also a tree that is controlled and forced to grow in a specific form according to the directives of people," explained Chaiyan.
Chaiyan Ninlabon, winner of the Grand Prize Award.
Chaiyan said Diversity Within Dominated Condition gave him opportunities to experiment and work with many materials and he enjoyed working on this piece. The imitation water with duckweed is crafted from resin and paper mache. The whale was made of lead while the bonsai was made of steel rods connected to each other and covered with paper mache. The snake was also made from paper mache.
Last year, Chaiyan's work did not make it to the first round, but the result did not discourage him. He still continued to create Diversity Within Dominated Condition and it finally became a success.
"I have participated in art competitions every year since I was a student, so I have experience managing my emotions when I do not win any award. I am still passionate about creating art. The primary benefits of art competitions are the prize money or funding to create new works. It also offers opportunities to exhibit work which open doors to other opportunities," said Chaiyan.
Chaiyan hopes that people will see his work.
"I do not expect much from the exhibition, but I hope many people will visit the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre to see my work. Fine art is different from other art forms like music or acting which the public can easily access. However, art pieces, like sculptures, require viewers to visit an art gallery to see them."
"Biodiversity" runs at the ninth floor of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre until Wednesday. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/TheWhiteElephantArtAward.
