THE ART OF SUFFERING
Uttaporn Nimmalaikaew’s unique technique explores the truth of suffering
The suffering in birth, old age, sickness and death is the truth of life, according to Buddhist principles. With such a noble fact in mind, artist Uttaporn Nimmalaikaew has created his artworks to reflect mental turmoil — a consequence of suffering — and displayed them in his solo exhibition “Reality As It Isn’t”.
Taking up two years of Uttaporn’s hard work and dedication during which he made everything from scratch, a total of 11 distinctive 3D and five 2D works by the artist are on show as part of Uttaporn’s second solo exhibition in Thailand. To date, he has had five solo exhibitions, both locally and internationally. However, he said that he has put a great amount of effort and determination into this exhibition compared to the rest, with more soul-stirring works, where each piece depicts an illusion of our chaotic mentality.
As a Buddhist, Uttaporn’s painting is related to the truth of life based on Buddha teaching — “Vipaka” and “Sankhara”. Vipaka a Sanskrit term, meaning “ripe” or “mature”, while sankhara means “formation”.
In a rapidly evolving society, things become more modern faster with help from technology. Smartphones, fast internet, 4K televisions, air conditioners, tablets, laptops and luxury cars are among the indicators of today’s modern living. Everyone desires to have all of them in their lives to the point where they have lost connection with themselves, which results in them living with uncertainties. Uttaporn believes that not only Buddhism teaches people to find real life value, but every other religion also. Therefore, he concludes that in order to discard
uncertainties, people need to seek for what they, themselves truly value in life. And let go of their own desires.
That is the primary point that Uttaporn wants to express in his art, starting by depicting his family’s stories.
“I was inspired by my family, which I believe is the smallest element of a society. Hence, I think it is the best way, to start with them,” said Uttaporn.
Born and raised in Bangkok, Uttaporn is a widely-admired award-winning young artist. Graduating with a degree in Fine Arts from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology and has a master’s degree in the same major from Silpakorn University, Uttaporn has always been committed to the modern art scene by doing his own art and disseminating knowledge to students at the Painting Department, Faculty of Architecture, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology as an instructor.
In the art community, Uttaporn is known for his unique approach by painting multiple layers on canvas, fabric or mosquito net to create 3D works. In other words, most of his paintings are created through a mixture of traditional painting and mixed media techniques. Discovering the special method when he was doing his master’s, Uttaporn’s exquisite paintings transform when being viewed from different angles.
Uttaporn knew there were many artists out there doing 3D art, however, he believes what makes him stand out from the rest is the fact that he makes use of materials that revolve around his daily life.
“Of course, there are a lot of 3D artists. However, mosquito nets are only available in Asia, so I try to make good use of that,” he explained.
Uttaporn said that he practises four main steps to create his 3D painting. The first, and most challenging, is painting the base layer, or what we commonly know as background. The second step is applying a layer of mosquito net or transparent fabric, then he applies additional paint to both layers. The third and fourth steps are when he tries to create volume and add balance to each painting. For instance, the painting depicts his dad suffering is very moving.
However, the most important aspect he wants people to accept is his presentation technique, 3D painting.
“I hope participant will love the work, both the stories and the technique. Importantly, the 3D painting, or hologram.”
I was inspired by my family, which I believe is the smallest element of a society