Isan Palettes is an exhibition that delves into the colorful world of Isan (Northern East of Thailand), derived from an exploration and study of the unique hues found in Isan's mural paintings, also known as "Huup Taem." This has resulted in a palette of 24 color shades. The colors from Isan, meticulously crafted by skilled artists, stand out for their historical value and stories of significant artistic and cultural sites encapsulated within these shades. These colors represent the distinctive hues of the Isan region, which are unparalleled.
For this exhibition, creative works using the Isan Palette have been gathered, including fashion design, jewelry design, painting, sculpture, and important pieces of woven fabric, a major outcome of collaborative community efforts during the Boon Phra Wet Festival in 2024 at Ban Non Kok, Nhong Na Kham Subdistrict, Mueang District, Udon Thani Province, held in March. This invited community members to participate in painting Phra Wet fabrics using the Isan Palette, narrating the story of the 13 Maha Vessantara Jataka, including the two episodes of Malai Saen, and coloring the flags for conquering demons in all eight directions. This was combined with the sculpting of the figure of Phra Upakut using local clay, accompanied by carefully arranged floral decorations.
About the Artists Group
The formation of the group to exhibit the Isan Palettes began with Assistant Professor Dr. Kuljit Sengtha, who grew up in a family working in the fields of art and design. He has been working with his family continuously for over 20 years and recognized the challenges of creating art and design with an Isan touch due to the difficulty of using colors effectively. This inspired him to conduct research with Associate Professor Dr. Chawalit Athipatayakul to develop Isan colors and experiment with creating hand-made Isan palette colors before a paint company began manufacturing them later on.
After the opening day of the Isan Palette exhibition at the L floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre in December 2023, Dr. Kulajit had the opportunity to work with Mr. Teelapol on incorporating the Isan palette colors into sculpture, leading to a broader and more continuous use of the Isan palette colors. Additionally, by integrating with the community during the Boon Phra Wet Festival in March at Ban Non Kok Temple in Nhong Na Kham Subdistrict, Mueang District, Udon Thani, the use of the Isan palette colors was promoted for creating patterns on Phra Wet fabrics and the eight-directional demon-conquering flags.
When invited to exhibit in the BACC pop・up special project, the group aimed to bring together their creativity to clearly showcase their work across all processes, aligning with current trends in the realm of "soft power" under the group's slogan, "Preserve, Innovate, Sustain." The project's name, similar to the name of the colors, reflects their coming together in Isan language, known as "coming home" or "gathering as a palette."
List of Artists:
- Assistant Professor Dr. Kulajit Sengna
- Associate Professor Dr. Chavalit Athipatyakul
- Worawikran Khongphutthikun
- Teelapol Saisombat
information provided by event organizer
