Heal your soul with inspiration from the sea
Surachai Mawornkanong explores the calming effect of the ocean and its great history in exhibition titled ‘The Sea Remembers Us’
Staring at clear seawater can heal our weary soul. With this idea in mind, artist Surachai Mawornkanong has brought the deep blue sea, spiral waves and the concept of the reflection of light to his latest solo exhibition titled “The Sea Remembers Us” held at the Subhashok The Arts Centre — now also available online.
“In my previous projects, some paintings had the sea as the background. While working on many paintings, I often saw imagery of the sea without any reason. I thought my mind wanted to see the sea,” Surachai explained as he talked about where his inspiration for this exhibition came.
“I’m not really a sea lover but staring at the sea made me calm. I sometimes felt like I was melting into the extensive sea. This enabled me to figure out why people like to stare at the sea. I believe the sea can heal our weary minds.”
Before working on the collection, the artist had seen many photos of the sea. To gather more information, he planned to travel to the beach for a week but he later changed his mind.
“I eventually discovered that the sea that I wanted to paint wasn’t the sea in its physical form. I intended to paint the sea in my mind. If I really had to be at the sea, I would like to be in the middle of it where there is nothing around so I can temporarily isolate from the world. I like to be alone. After meeting with lots of people, I missed being alone more.”
The collection, which has been titled “The Sea Remembers Us” was named to emphasise how tiny humans are compared to the sea.
“Staring at the sea made me realise how small we are. The ocean is much larger than us. During the early years of earth’s existence, there was only the ocean. In the next million years, it will only be the sea that is left probably. Many living creatures had their origin in the sea as well. Humans are just tiny species which pale in comparison. After we die, we will vanish. If our empires collapse, the sea will take everything. That’s why I named the collection ‘The Sea Remembers Us.’”
The 23 acrylic surrealism paintings were made on canvas — the artist’s speciality. In 2016, Surachai challenged himself by painting realistic images in a collection titled “Loser Cat”, which were portraits of his adorable cats. Visitors were delighted to see images of grey, brown, and white fluffy furs along with sparkling and colourful eyes of the cats in details.
“‘Loser Cat’ was launched specially for cat lovers and enthusiasts. I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could draw realistic paintings of cats. After that collection, I didn’t want to work on realistic paintings again because I spend at least a year with the objects that I paint. For me to be able to paint, I must really be into that object. I was fine when I spent time with cats, however, I prefer working on surrealism.”
Surachai’s first painting in the collection is called Memory, which shows an empty ocean.
“After painting the sea, I was staring at it and imagined the possibilities that can take place here. Eventually, I realised that anything can happen.
“Standing in the middle of the exhibition is like being in the middle of the ocean. The beautiful dark blue seas, peaceful waves, clear skies and living creature in the paintings can lift our spirits. Two paintings — Descendant
of Pakicetus No.1 and No.2 — depict the whales, an enormous species of marine inhabitants.
“I’m interested in whales and like to read about them. Coming back to the origin of the earth, living creatures originated in the sea but some marine species later became land-dwellers. Whales also left the sea for land but later discovered they could live more comfortably in the ocean. I chose to name the paintings Descendant of Pakicetus because Pakicetus was the first animal that returned to the ocean. The name implies that when land did not suit it, a decision to return to the ocean to be happier was made. And because of this, it became a gigantic creature.”
Two other paintings in the collection, One Day I Met A Butterfly In The Sea No.1 And No.2 were sparked by his extraordinary experiences. The artist said the odd experiences happened many years ago when he travelled to an island and later took a small boat to return home.
“While the boat was heading to another coast far away, tourists were spotted in the middle of the sea and then suddenly a butterfly came out of nowhere. I was stunned and wondered where it came from. Ten minutes later, we also saw a corpse floating. It was the first time I saw a dead body in the sea. A helmsman took us to examine it closely. The two incidents were memorable, especially seeing a butterfly in the middle of nowhere. There is a belief that butterflies represent the soul. I wondered if that was possible. With those memories, I drew these pictures,” said the artist.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, people may focus more on news about healthcare, political conflicts and business impact. Why should people be interested in an art exhibition?
“Seeing this art exhibition is like taking a rest. Seeing the exhibition and taking time to think about something quietly during this kind of period is great. Working people don’t have time to travel to the sea often. When they go, others go too. The seas are usually not quiet at that time. To spend time with this art exhibition, you can remain quiet and don’t have to travel away.”
“The Sea Remembers Us” exhibit can be found online at facebook.com/sacbangkok, instagram.com/sacbangkok and the SAC Channel on YouTube. The Sea Remembers Us photo books and postcards are also available. Call 02-662-0299 or visit Subhashok The Arts Centre’s Facebook page for more information.
I BELIEVE THE SEA CAN HEAL OUR WEARY MINDS