ART REVIEW
Holier than thou
Prateep Suthathongthai's new exhibition probes the state of religion in Thailand
- Published: 13 Mar 2013 at 00.00
- Newspaper section: Life
Thailand calls itself a Buddhist country, but we should be regarded as a land of ironies as well. Occasionally, we hear news about public anger against a foreign commercial that juxtaposes the image of the Lord Buddha with some improper objects, like shoes, or with half-naked women. Meanwhile, we see a large number of collectors appreciating Buddhist amulets on sale along Bangkok's dirty footpaths.
A photomontage of religious amulets in the ‘Commodity’ series.
Of course, no one ever protests against this "inappropriateness". Ironically as well as interestingly, images and figures of the Lord Buddha are popular subjects among many local artists. The supreme icon of worship intrigues them, and they employ it as a motif in many forms _ some present it in a reverent manner, others do not.
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