Déjà vu: Buddha is Hiding
By Natee Utarit
Curated by John Tung
28 September 2024 — 1 December 2024
STPI Creative Workshop & Gallery, Singapore
STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery is pleased to present Déjà vu: Buddha is Hiding, a thoughtful
exploration on decolonisation in the arts by leading Thai contemporary artist, Natee Utarit. Set to
run from 28 September 2024 to 1 December 2024, the exhibition will comprise of over 40 artworks by Utarit, and is curated by John Tung, one of Singapore’s most prominent curators with significant experience curating past editions of S.E.A. Focus (2024) and the Singapore Biennale (2016 and 2019).
This exhibition concludes his Déjà vu series first conceived in 2019, where Utarit imagines Buddha’s hypothetical journey to the West, and explores themes of identity and colonial conditioning, juxtaposing Eastern and Western imagery through innovative print and paper works made in collaboration with STPI.
Highlight works on show include BUDDHA PALAZZO (a.m.) (2024) and BUDDHA PALAZZO (p.m.)
(2024), which present two different views – by day and by night – of the same building and reflect his study of the intersection of Eastern and Western ideologies. Monumental in size and complex in printing techniques, the artworks are layered on a canvas hand-painted by Utarit, creating stunning textured compositions of impressive scale that set the tone of the exhibition.
Using paper made in STPI’s very own mill, Utarit finds innovative expression for the medium, creating a sculpture series of statue fragments. These works – TORSO (2024), UTOPIA (2024), ARCHETYPE (2024), APOLLO 14 (2024) et al – comprise anatomical forms and shapes of clothing that allude to ancient Buddha statues. With touches of graffiti embedded in some of these statues, Utarit plays with the motif of illicit erasure, seen through the lens of European colonialism and the unapologetic looting of cultural artefacts.
“Utarit’s works of art become a new “truth”, reshaping understanding of the original
circumstances through the lens of a different language and culture. With this series made
in collaboration with the STPI Creative Workshop, he invites the audience to discover
overlooked stories and histories of the East, in order to weave a clear perspective of the
world for ourselves.”
– John Tung, Curator
In Déjà vu: Buddha is Hiding, Utarit amplifies his place as an important voice in the regional art
scene, concluding his Déjà vu series with a powerful examination of Western hegemony in art
history, vis a vis the cultural and historical landscape of Southeast Asia.
A solo showcase of Utarit’s works will concurrently be presented by Richard Koh Fine Art at
The Private Museum, Singapore from late October 2024. Earlier this year, Utarit was included in
the group show The Spirits of Maritime Crossing, a collateral event of the 60th Venice Biennale,
which highlighted themes of displacement, colonialism and hybrids of diverse cultures across
Southeast Asia.
In collaboration with STPI’s highly skilled Creative Workshop team, print and paper take centre stage to manifest new creative dimensions in distinguished art practices. Renowned contemporary artists such as Pinaree Sanpitak, Melati Suryodarmo, Dinh Q. Lê and Manuel Ocampo, among others, have thrived in the unlimited possibilities allowed by artistic experimentation in their STPI residencies.
About Natee Utarit:
Natee Utarit (b. 1970, Bangkok) studied at the College of Fine Art in 1987 and at Silpakorn University in 1991, both in Bangkok.
Utarit’s practice focuses on the exploration of the medium of painting which he uses to question
classical Western art. He works with light and perspective as a means to explore different forms of image making. His complex pictures, which employs wide-ranging metaphors usually in the format of the traditional still life, allude to Thailand’s current sociopolitical landscapes.
Utarit’s exhibitions include Déjà vu: When the Sun Rises in the West, Art Centre, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand (2022), Déjà vu, Fondazione Made in Cloister, Naples, Italy (2020), Optimism is Ridiculous: The Altarpieces, The Private Museum, Singapore (2018), Optimism is Ridiculous: The Altarpieces, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia (2017), Optimism is Ridiculous: The Altarpieces, Ayala Museum, Manila, the Philippines (2017), Illustration of the Crisis, Bangkok University Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand (2013), After Painting, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore (2010) and The Amusement of Dreams, Hope and Perfection, Art Center of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand (2007).
Recent group exhibitions include The Spirit of Maritime Crossing, Palazzo Mangilli Valmarana,
Venice, Italy (2024), The Possibility of an Island: Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia, Cromwell
Place, London, UK (2020), We Do Not Dream Alone, Asia Society Triennial, New York, USA (2021), Beyond Bliss, Bangkok Art Biennale 2018, Bangkok, Thailand (2018), Contemporary Chaos, Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Norway (2018), Thai Eye, BACC, Bangkok, Thailand and Saatchi Gallery, London, UK (2016/2015), Art of ASEAN, Bank Negara Museum and Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2015), Time of Others, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan (2015) and Asian Art Biennale 2013: Everyday Life, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan (2013).
His work is part of many renowned public collections, such as the Queensland Art Gallery and
Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, Bangkok University, Bangkok,
as well as private collections in Europe and Asia.
About STPI
STPI is a dynamic creative workshop and contemporary art gallery based in Singapore. Established in 2002, STPI is a not-for-profit organisation committed to promoting artistic experimentation in the mediums of print and paper and has become one of the most cutting-edge destinations for contemporary art in Asia. STPI sits alongside National Gallery Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum as part of the national Visual Arts Cluster of leading institutions in the region.
Press kit and images:
Please click here.
For media enquiries:
TQPR Thailand | Tom Van Blarcom | tom@tqpr.com