Unsinn im Sinn
Unsinn im Sinn
ATTA, Bangkok
Artist: Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch
5th August – 13th September 2023
Photos: Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch and Preecha Pattara
Unsinn im Sinn is Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch’s first solo ceramic exhibition in Thailand since 2014. For the past decade, his full-scale ceramic exhibitions have only been shown in Europe. In this exhibition, Supanichvoraparch traces his memory and practice from the starting point of his ceramic training and career to the present.
‘Unsinn im Sinn!’, (English: Nonsense in mind), is what was said to Supanichvoraparch by his ceramics teacher during his first year. Everyone was fooling around, but he was the only one who got told off. These words are something he has never forgotten. Fortunately, a year later, another teacher, who was more encouraging, revealed to him the fascination of art and showed him that everything is possible. This period was the first time he discovered the simple happiness, joy, peace, and freedom that comes from feeling clay in his hands and working freely with it. Although these reminiscences were not the reason he decided to be in ceramics, they were the turning point that started to shape his life as a ceramist.
In this exhibition, memories, good and bad, are reinterpreted. Former teaching and practice are assessed and presented through each art piece. Supanichvoraparch explores various issues from the definition of ceramics, the division of art and craft, ceramic technology and traditional teaching, and visual perception and its inferences.
Supanichvoraparch always questions and challenges what is considered a norm or typical perception and understanding. This is based purely on his natural curiosity. He wants to see all the possibilities. What if the work had been done in a different way, or if things happened differently, would history and reality as we know it be altered? The artist believes in the uncontrollable, as in life and in ceramic production, when any slight factor can affect the outcome.
The artist emphasizes ceramics as a medium in terms of its history and his personal account within its context. This exhibition allowed him the freedom to explore or revisit various methods as he was curious to see the result. New techniques were placed alongside primitive forms. What interested him is the journey and the working process, any success or mistake which, by chance, can create something remarkable or lead to a discovery.
Reevaluating his practice, ‘Unsinn im Sinn’, which initially sounds negative, might eventually connote the opposite, becoming the truth underlying his practice, decisions, and beliefs. Supanichvoraparch has done many things that may not seem to make sense to others but are the results of his passion and curiosity, from art and design development to an attempt to create public art and cultural awareness in his hometown.
This exhibition brought Supanichvoraparch back to the freedom and satisfaction of first exploring and working with clay. It brought him to the basics, working with his hands and feeling the material, which gave him enjoyment and tranquility. His works act as a record of life, his thoughts, and memories. They absorb all his experiences, feelings, and current state of mind. Each bit of pain, guilt, grief, happiness, and longing is imprinted within each press, tear, mark, and puncture. These sentiments are transferred directly from his hand to the work, leaving traces on the finished piece as a testimony. All the material and art pieces in this show act as an outlet and a record. They are a self-assessment and a self-documentary, a memoir of his life and the ceramic medium.
https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/lifestyle/art-living/1100631
https://www.tatlerasia.com/power-purpose/others/best-studio-art-asia
https://potteryclaythailand.com/en/blogs/knowledge-base/unsinn-im-sinn