Habitus

Habitus
1Projects, 7 Sep – 28 Oct 2018
Nudsupang Puthaikul
Curated by Nim Niyomsin

Layers upon layers of materials from fabrics, dried flowers to candles are visible, subtly revealing their unique features and qualities. Each object holds its sentimental value and symbolical meaning. Candles were taken from a local temple after merit gathering. Colorful flags that were once part of a school’s sport day. Dried golden butea flowers still hold their intense yellow even after time has passed, symbolizing beauty and prosperity.

This is the artist’s latest work, Scent of Pile. After a closer look, the strong division of each layer is softened by the materials’ natural form. Each delicate part combines to form a strong standing pillar, the centre piece of Habitus, a solo exhibition by Nudsupang Puthaikul.

The renowned French philosopher and sociologist Pierre Bourdieu once described ‘habitus’ as a disposition, a system of perception, thoughts, opinions and beliefs within an individual, influencing our actions and understanding of the world. It forms who we are as a result of interaction with our external structures, upbringing, surroundings and culture.

Referring to Bourdieu’s theory, the habitus of the artist is reflected in her mixed media installation, which acts like an archeological site accumulating cultural materials starting from the artist’s past up to the present. Colors intentionally get gradually lighter, with deep brown shades of natural objects as a strong base. Nature, with its purity, was a big part of the artist’s childhood growing up in Chiang Rai, the northern part of Thailand, in a local community that is still rooted in Lanna tradition. This culture became the main inspiration for Puthaikul, growing up listening to the stories and myths of the ancient past.

Puthaikul’s artwork is not strictly coherent but consists of flux, fragmentations and sometimes, opposition. It’s a mixture of Lanna tradition and modern lifestyles. Sophisticated traditional textiles were placed against manufactured bedding sheets. Synthetic materials were laid next to natural objects. The work is full of feminine sensibility, yet is solid with a square structure implying the artist’s strength and strong cultural ties. Also displayed in this exhibition is Flower-Buddhism-Worship. Flowers were gathered from a temple’s altar creating delicate and complex patterns and layers.

For Puthaikul, it is the Lanna culture that has had the strongest impact on her and became the source of her artistic inspiration. What we witness is a representation of the artist, her Habitus, combining not only the artist’s personal values but the collective memory of her community embedded within her.