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Lot Essay
The narrative depth and striking visual language of Natee Utarit's paintings have made him one of the most compelling artists working out of Southeast Asia in recent years. The works that comprise the Illustration of the Crisis series (2010-2012) have been regarded one of his most artistic and conceptually developed in his oeuvre, and present an exceptional balance of painterly technique, distinctive style, and originality.
Drawing on the classical practice of still life painting, Utarit brings together disparate objects from his collection of curious to stage the surreal scenes which are then reflected in his paintings. Like a cabinet of curiosities, Utarit's paintings reveal an accumulation of found objects from model toys to anatomical models of skeletons and teeth. For Utarit, objects hold the power of symbolism and reference. By modifying and combining different objects, he works with the rules of language to produce variations of meaning in the pictorial language of his paintings.
The present lot Saying The Truth is a Suicide (Lot 212) was painted as one of the final group of paintings in the Illustration of the Crisis series. While Utarit shies away from direct and overt political commentary, the work is rift with a metaphorical process laden with a commentary of the times in which it was painted. The title itself alludes to the idea of censorship, and the events following the coup d'état in 2006 in Thailand, with widespread censorship of the masses which has persisted till the present day when critical questions were asked about the establishment. The painting is a veiled commentary of these social and political issues and marks the fateful event and subtly explores the social realities of modern Thai society.
Drawing on the classical practice of still life painting, Utarit brings together disparate objects from his collection of curious to stage the surreal scenes which are then reflected in his paintings. Like a cabinet of curiosities, Utarit's paintings reveal an accumulation of found objects from model toys to anatomical models of skeletons and teeth. For Utarit, objects hold the power of symbolism and reference. By modifying and combining different objects, he works with the rules of language to produce variations of meaning in the pictorial language of his paintings.
The present lot Saying The Truth is a Suicide (Lot 212) was painted as one of the final group of paintings in the Illustration of the Crisis series. While Utarit shies away from direct and overt political commentary, the work is rift with a metaphorical process laden with a commentary of the times in which it was painted. The title itself alludes to the idea of censorship, and the events following the coup d'état in 2006 in Thailand, with widespread censorship of the masses which has persisted till the present day when critical questions were asked about the establishment. The painting is a veiled commentary of these social and political issues and marks the fateful event and subtly explores the social realities of modern Thai society.