Komkrit Tepthian
Inspired by a traumatic event in the history of the relationship between Thailand and France, Castor & Pollux is a sculpture of two Thai elephants which were killed in the late 1870s at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. The two elephants — Castor and Pollux — a replica of the Great Crown of Victory and other living creatures and objects were sent from Thailand to France as presents. Kromkrit, the artist, lecturer and owner of Motmo Studio, said the idea of “Monster” refers to something that is made to be odd.
“These two elephants were a symbol of friendship between Thailand and France. They were considered important. Castor and Pollux were famous because at that time elephants were a rare sight in France. Their stories were often published in newspapers. However, during the Siege of Paris, food shipments to the city were cut off and wild animals at the zoo including the two elephants were killed and served as meat,” said Komkrit.
The sculptor said the news about the killing of these two elephants was not reported in the French or Thai media, but the news was published in English newspapers.
“I was startled to find out that they killed elephants for meat. Thais have a bond with elephants and consider them as valuable animals. I wondered how severe the food shortage must have been that made the French decide to eat elephants,” he said.
It has been said that “history is written by victors” and Komkrit agrees with the quote.
“History is an aspect of truth that we cannot believe in 100%. The records are by the victors, losers and those that are neutral. If there is new evidence, history can be changed. There were no records about Castor and Pollux in Thailand because reports were always about upperclass people. I want to work on stories about people in general because I think relationships between people can change. Thus, people should learn about the past in order to prevent history from repeating itself,” he said.
There are many symbols in the elephant sculpture including a crown on the head of the elephant which was inspired by the Eiffel Tower and the Pont des Arts Bridge and adorned with locks of red, white and blue. These symbols are not difficult to interpret and Komkrit hopes viewers will understand his work.
“I really care about viewers and want them to understand my work. At least, they can see the aesthetics of my work. If seeing Castor & Pollux can encourage viewers to seek more information related to elephants, art is useful. Art should be like a guide that leads people to different kinds of information such as history, philosophy and other fields of studies,” concluded Komkrit.