The night laid a hundred eyes on my skin
Installation shown at Storage
2024, Bangkok, Thailand
Our house was attacked at night, by costumed men on horses, carrying spears. My family ran to the back of the house to a nearby canal, and hid under a bridge. We all huddled together.
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On one occasion I was bitten by a tiny rattle snake. Every day in order to appease the spirits and to ask for healing, I would bring small food offerings to a wild betel plant, where a good spirit lives.
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On another occasion sneaking from behind adult shoulders, I saw the buffalo’s intestines spread out on a checkered piece of textile. An old man was reading my aunt’s fortune in them.
When I asked my grandmother about these separate yet solid recollections, she shook with laughter. Your imagination ran wild, none of this happened, she chuckled.
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When I asked my close cousin whether she remembers, she nodded no and tells me that my mind has kneaded separate events into one. We only remember what feels important to us, she offers.
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Does it matters that things didn’t happen as I recall? I’m surely still shaped by this strange amalgamation of images, stories and ideas. They are close and concrete, they have angles and textures, I can wield worlds from them.
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The exhibition consisted of a video installation 28’54’’, a light installation comprising of three headlamps and four paintings of varying sizes.
In a darkened room, the viewer will pass a wall of Palmyra leaves, the leaves are arranged to block the main projection from view, yet some light escapes through the leaves where the insects have eaten away some fibres. Upon entering you are met with an short and narrow corridor, on the left side the wall of paylmyra leaves backlit, an on the right the traces of the insect projected and enlarged by the light. Upon entering the room you see three laters of netted materials, the same video images projected across the three layers of textiles, on the textiles we also see an organic sown pattern. You can walk to the end of the room, sit on the bench and watch the video. The video shows nightly scenes, foraging of insects, cutting of rubber, motor bike rides, making of bon fires, and so on. The edit focuses on the light as the main protagonist, the light guides the view, it shows us mainly what the hands are doing and is the main character at play. The net material diffuse the image, disperse it, repeats it three times.
Once out of this room, you’ll find a row of three headlights, mounted on the wall. The headlights activates the empty areas on the opposite wall, the walls without painting. They create a rhythm that invites the viewer to look at the opposite wall, where with regular intervals they’ll find four paintings of night environments devoid of people.
Image credit: Atelier 247
The exhibition was kindly supported by OCA, Office for Contemporary Art, Norway