The First Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

Prawat Laucharoen was born in 1941 at Rat Buri, Thailand. He trained at Silpakorn University, Bangkok and at the Pratt Institute, New York where he received his Master of Fine Arts. The artist has held solo exhibitions since 1968 in both Thailand and the United States. Among the group shows in which he has been represented are those specialis– ing in prints such as the '8th International Exhibition of Prints', Tokyo, 1972; '22nd National Print Exhibition', Brooklyn Museum, NewYork, 1981; 'International Print Exhibition', China, 1983; and the adventurous 'Print Installation', The National Gallery, Bangkok, 1991. During the 1960s Prawat Laucharoen received many awards at the annual National Exhibition of Art, Bangkok. An independent printmaker and artist, his work is included in numerous corporate collections in the United States and at Chulalongkorn Uni– versity, Bangkok. An expatriate artist, Prawat Laucharoen has lived in SoHo, New York since 1967. He has gained international stature as a master printmaker through collaborative works with Alex Katz, Larry Rivers, Philip Pearlstein, Adolf Gottlieb and David Hockney. In 1981, he worked jointly with Dennis Oppenheim to create a performance-print installation at Pratt Graphics in New York. Prawat Laucharoen's fascination with the process of printmaking as a creative force has guided him to experiment with the wood– carving tradition in Asia. Rituals and rites have become major sources of inspiration. Perishable materials and elements including fire, water, soil and air are used in his work. He explores the notion of authenticity and orig– inality by incorporating woodblocks, etching and intaglio tools in print installations shown in New York, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. During the military crackdown in May 1992 in Bangkok the artist was far away from the events but he experienced the images of horror through the media. As part of the large Thai community in New York, he became cu rious about the redefinition of words like nation, religion, monarchy and democracy. The four elements is a room-size installation full of political overtones which confront issues such as national identity, 'Thai-ness', equality and hegemony. Images of patriotism, symbols of faith, and objects of worship are being challenged as Thai people attempt to recover from the shock and grief of the recent political crisis. Through visual metaphors and con- THAILAND PRAWAT LAUCHAROEN Top and bottom Details of Print installation 1991 Shown at the National Gallery, Bangkok notations, Prawat Laucharoen creates a melange of meanings for the viewer to decipher. Maps of Thailand are juxtaposed with stumps and wood rubbings to convey dilemma and stuntedness confronting a nation. Religious beliefs are shown by using one large alms bowl filled with water under dim light. The severed image of the Buddha is placed meditatively in front of offerings for the dead and objects related to animism and astrology. Rubbings and copper plates of the Thai royal family represent monarchy, suggesting that power of image is relative according to intensity and interpretation. For democracy, a display case contains censored documents and taboo objects relating to Thai military dictatorship and coups d'etat. Sound and flashing images reveal glimpses of the history of Thai 'demo-crazy'. Apinan Poshyananda 51