From the past to the present, many libertarians still strongly believe that humans possess free will and they can act freely, approving of their own decisions in life. When it comes to the topic of free will, it gives rise to the controversial question of whether we have freedom, and to what degree we have control over everything in our lives.
In reality, some people are forced to do certain things or follow others' rules against their will. Very often it is the younger generation who are told to keep their opinions to themselves and show more respect to the elderly. Evidently, old traditions and cultures, including capitalism and environmental laws, regulate human life.
Inspired by those basic rules and regulations, Wisit Techasirikosol created more than 60 pieces of abstract art to explore the meaning of free will in his solo exhibition "P (Control) = 1".
Derived from the probability formula, the P (Control) = 1 showcase features various geometric patterns and lines with vivid colours. Wisit said: "The concept of this exhibition comes from my real life as I move around a lot. Everywhere I go has its own rules and those rules control our life. I'm interested in this control and I turn this into art."
After graduation from Chiang Mai University, he moved to the United States and worked there as a full-time artist for four years. Later, he moved back to his hometown and started to integrate art into all aspects of life by conveying artistic ideas into the culinary world. Finally, the painter opened his own restaurant and Seedin studio in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
However, his late return from America allowed him discover the hidden lesson in earlier life experiences and gain a profound understanding of others' lives lying at the bottom of capitalism.
At some point, this brief moment of enlightenment made him wonder if all humans were controlled or lived freely in this capitalist society. In fact, the artist has his own answer, opining that people in many Asian countries didn't have much choice or freedom of expression but struggled to survive and pay the bills due to the nation's economy and society.
Still, Wisit wanted his audience to ferret out their answers to his open-ended question and obtain fascinating insights about reality in his mixed-media artwork. Accordingly, the final answer to the equation P (Control) = 1 depends on individual experience, notwithstanding that most mathematical findings have a single solution.
Meanwhile, the painter frequently applied symbols, lines and colours in his abstract works to narrate the inspirational story of his life experiences. However, in the P (Control) collection, his design process is different from the creation of abstract art since Wisit initially controlled shapes, textures and shades of colour to illustrate invisible elements that govern our lives.
"I tried to find what kind of material would be the best medium for expressing this P (Control) concept. I looked for something that creates different textures and makes a big impact. Then I came up with my own formula, mixing talcum powder with oil colours and other chemicals. This powder gave a thick, impressive texture and increased colour density in the painting. Then I paint it on canvas and plastwood sheets," he explained.
With the help of curator Varalee Na Pombejra, his paintings are installed as "Lego bricks interlocking" to create a pathway for visitors so they would feel stuck in the labyrinth and later forced to follow the route like the rules in our own society.
"We wanted to build a route where viewers could explore and connect to the true meaning of control. Thankfully, the artist followed my crazy idea to put his paintings on the floor. So we transformed the gallery space into a maze," said Varalee.
The curator also created a short clip and added sound effects for this exhibition to poke fun at Wisit's artwork.
"There are the school bus horn, the chirps of birds, the whirr of insects and other everyday sounds to reflect what kind of economy and society the artist has encountered, to relate how he has lived in a capitalist society," she added.
Wisit noted: "There are natural sounds because, even in nature, it still has rules, to protect and preserve the environment. So everywhere has its own rules but defines it in different ways."
The "P (Control) = 1" exhibition is now on view in RCB Photographers' Gallery 1, on the 2nd floor, until April 24. Visit rivercitybangkok.com for further information.
Close up of "P (control) = 1" artwork
