Death of Place
Death of People
By Ronnagorn Kerdchot
Curated by Yingyod Yenarkarn
Installation by Suwinai Laopunna
Venue: Cartel Artspace

This new series of paintings by Ronakorn is inspired by photographs. The photographs capture what has faded, been destroyed, or disappeared—both the structures that once held the spirit of important places in many people's hearts, and the individuals whose spirits have been torn from their bodies, leaving their physical forms to decay in a pitiable state.

Ronakorn's work begins with oil paintings on paper, derived from old family photos. Many of the people in these photos have long since passed away. The work then expands onto canvases of various sizes, from small to quite large, using swift brushstrokes and a monochromatic palette of white, gray, and black. The artist intentionally captures the energy of the moment in his brushstrokes, leaving traces of that energy behind in the painterly marks.

I asked Ronakorn, "How do you choose the photographs that serve as the basis for this series?" He didn't answer with words but responded with a smile that seemed to say, "See for yourself."

He has a point. For those who have lived in this world, especially in Thailand and particularly in Bangkok, for a long time, it is not hard to recognize where each image originates. Both the places and the people that once existed on this land are evident. Yet, the power who should not be named holds such an immense authority that it can drive away the spirits of both places and people, rendering them vanished if the power who should not be named is "unimpressed."

All such dust in the wind like most of us can only watch in disbelief.