Projects

FEEL FREE TO REST

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What if life is not so much about the destination but is about a constant endeavor? When we think about achieving certain things in life, we usually hope that these achievements will be something we can hold on to forever. The truth is, as we drift off phase after phase of accomplishments, we find ourselves unsatisfied – we long for something else. We constantly seek new things, discoveries, or experiences to fulfill our pursuit of happiness. Some say surfers may have the best perspective on life matters. It is like surfing the wave – when one is wave-riding, one will not settle only for riding one wave. It is always about trying out repeatedly, knowing they will fail on the first two or quite a few trials. The actions of waiting, riding, and waiting again for the wave to come somehow emulate the vicissitudes of life. Surfers know that waves have nuances of heights and difficulties. However, given that these are inevitable, they understand that no wave is permanent; therefore, every riding moment is precious (be it when one succeeds or fails) and should be experienced fervently by every surfer who wants to master the riding. This idea about transience and impermanence of life’s occurrences is what the Thai artist Sittiphon Lochaisong is trying to convey in his oeuvre. This solo exhibition entitled ‘Feel Free to Rest’ consists of several paintings representing the finite state of living, the impermanent juncture of life we experience daily that is deemed the essence of the universe. Throughout his glow-in-the-dark paintings, he presents us with a very captivating approach of using luminescent pigments that are reckoned a bit unusual from his previous body of works. Retrospectively speaking, Sittiphon is known for his interstellar-abstraction painting, a style he developed to imitate the elements of space. However, as this new series is about the human experience that hits close to home, perhaps Sittiphon chose to paint what seems to be a wave subject, given that we can see the natural flow of water that impersonates the movement of the wave current. In this new body of work, given that the material is luminescent pigments that glow in the dark, Sittiphon somehow creates duality in experiencing these works. The first is obviously the standard way of viewing them, with the lights on; the second is to view them in the dark. This duality of viewing the artworks in a way initiates different engagement and contemplation while one experiences his paintings. It demands us to compare the colour, form, impressions, also emotions while still being aware that we are looking at the same artwork. Therefore, there is an element of anticipation from the viewers – the expectancy of enjoying the same paintings with different wavelengths or nuances of visuals. As luminescence pigment is a material that absorbs light emission, it is not always in a permanent state of glowing. It needs to be ‘recharged’ so that it will shine again. The back-and-forth acts of leaving or waiting for the paintings under the light and anticipating them to glow in the dark again somehow represent the surfers’ acts of waiting and riding the sea waves. In a sense, Sittiphon wants us to ponder upon life as if each of us is a ‘surfer’ on our own terms, constantly seeking new experiences and understandings in viewing art and life while being fully aware that everything is impermanent and will cease to exist one day.

 

Nazrul