Page 18 - Art Reveal no8

18 Art Reveal Magazine

The current collection of paintings and prints, ‘Asian
Highway’, focuses on themes of cultural identity and
tradition in a developing society; encouraging critique
on a romanticised viewpoint of Eastern culture versus
the bleak representation of Westernisation.

The work evolved from discussions with Karenni refu-
gees and Thai nationals in the hilltop villages of north-
ern Thailand, near the border of Myanmar. Rumours
of an extension of the Asian highway into the North
(and as far west as Europe) were spreading excitement
and hope among the poor communities who present-
ly survive off the land and from small incomes from
make-shift shops along the dirt roads of Ban Nai Soi
village.

The highway connects 32 Asian countries, easing trans-
port of goods and passage for tourism. Naturally, the
villagers hoped that the proposed extension – which
would traverse directly through the Ban Nai Soi village
– would bring increased tourism, trade and financial
prosperity. The villagers spoke of opening shops and
restaurants and improved employment opportunities
and a more secure future for their families.

However, the highway will also irrevocably change
the character of the community; their traditional way
of life would soon become obsolete. The natural envi-
ronment destroyed to make way for tarmacked roads,
enabling a flow of vehicles to destroy the once peaceful
landscape. In time, noise and pollution would replace
the starry skies, peace and clean mountain air.

This collection of work seeks to capture the identity
and traditions of the Thai and Karenni communities of
Ban Nai Soi in the midst of change. Paintings, such as
‘Identity’, seek to convey an eerie sense of loss. Lay-
ers of oils and acrylics are stripped away with paint
thinners and rags, to represent the stripping away of
customs and traditions. The modern media of spray
paint is used to reflect new ways of working and fast-
er results – indicative of Western culture. Charcoal is
used in the paintings to resonate with the viewer the
impermanence of a changing society, giving the work
a feeling of being temporary and incomplete.

The prints combine media in similar ways to the paint-
ings – using the traditional methods of dry-point with
modernized alternatives, such as collagraph and pho-
topolymer. These images romanticise the culture of
the villagers, evoking feelings of nostalgia and an ide-
alistic, peaceful existence, by using pure, simple lines
and attention to detail and aesthetics.

LONGNECK MOTHERS