Beautiful flowers and their connection with local beliefs in the southernmost provinces are portrayed in "Mandi Bunga", which is running at the Temporary Exhibition 1 and 2, ground floor of Moca Bangkok, until Oct 28.
An oil on linen by Anchana Nangkala. (Photo courtesy of MOCA Bangkok)
This is a thesis exhibition by Anchana Nangkala, a Thai artist reputed for painting vibrant flowers. She often juxtaposes complementary colours yet maintains balance and harmony. This technique captivates viewers, immersing them in a garden of various flowers.
For this show, whose title means "flower bathing" in Malay, she focuses on studying the aesthetics of the therapeutic practice which is based on traditional healing methods of the Malay in the three southern border provinces, passing down from one generation to the next in the family lineage of traditional healers.
The "Mandi Bunga" ritual mandates fresh flowers of seven types and seven colours. It is conducted by traditional healers and participants can be women or men at any stage of life. Similar to receiving a gift that liberates one from sorrow, believers hold that participants emerge as fresh and vibrant from the ritual as a newly blossomed flower.
The artist extracts symbolism associated with the ritual process, from preparation to the actual and post-treatment phases, then incorporates it into new semiotic art to highlight the value, meaning, and aesthetics by communicating through the aesthetical and visual elements in the form of oil paintings presented in four different sets.
Moca Bangkok is on Kamphaeng Phet 6 Road and opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm.
Visit mocabangkok.com or call 02-016-5666.
