Acclaimed contemporary Thai artist Montri Toemsombat has built bridges between his most intimate emotional landscapes and local beliefs from his hometown of Chaiyaphum during the "Plateau Rouge" exhibition, which is running at the Art Gallery of Toot Yung Art Centre until Dec 2.
This is the second solo showcase at the art centre by the 43-year-old artist, who is renowned for using unconventional mediums and materials, often related to Thai roots and culture, such as rice, silk worms, earth and fibres in his installations.
As the exhibition title suggests, red is the predominant tone of this exotic display of a new body of work emanating from the Isaan plateau's deepest folk beliefs, with lipstick, red rice and passion as the main ingredients.
In his perpetual quest for defining his identity, Montri reaches further into his roots as he releases himself from them. His work questions and seeks equilibrium between cultures. It explores the contradiction between rural life and rampant consumerism, the folk and the urban, local and global.
Through his use of a new raw and unconventional medium, as well as a deep exploration of his cultural identity, his work interrogates our physical and ethical relationship with contemporary Thailand and the complexity of our modern world.
Toot Yung Art Centre is located in Mae Rim, Chiang Mai, and is open daily, 9am-6pm.
Call 084-914-5499.
