Free Form From Weaving No. 2, installation view
The various colourful weaving patterns and independent shapes that Santi Wangchuan creates highlight societal metamorphosis, folk wisdom and beliefs, as he continues the conservation of his culture.
Santi Wangchuan’s hand-made woven works are inspired by his family’s traditions and is reflected by integrating religion, stories, equipment and tools that are native to his hometown. Born into a family of traditional weavers, he acquired the skill at a young age from his grandmother, and through his mixed media work, he resourcefully preserves an art technique that is soon to be lost as provincial communities are faced with rapid urbanisation.
After studying art history and the art traditions in Thailand, he sought an outlet to re-engage in his family’s dying craft, which once served as their main source of income. As machinery became more efficient and modern furnishings became the preferred choice, hand-woven baby cribs and beddings became obsolete. The family business was dissolved and his relatives progressed to find sustainable jobs. As such, Wangchuan’s fascination is derived from the intervention of urban development, and places emphasis on the changes in the way of life as known to him.
Wangchuan weaves together intimate memories and relationships, harmonizing items such as personal belongings and remnants of clothes that once belonged to his family members. Detailed and complex, his abstract work symbolizes his intimate affection and warmth towards his family, and serves as a long-lasting remembrance for loved ones he has lost. The various colourful weaving patterns and independent shapes that he creates highlight societal metamorphosis, folk wisdom and beliefs, as he continues the conservation of his culture.
Born in 1988, Santi Wangchuan earned a PhD from the Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, and recently graduated with an MFA in Visual Arts, the Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, Bangkok. Most recently in 2015, Wangchuan was awarded the “3rd Honoured Bronze Award” at the 61st National Exhibition of Art, Bangkok, Thailand. He has participated in multiple art exhibitions, such as the 35th Bualuang Painting Exhibition, The Queen’s Gallery, Bangkok in 2013, and the Amata Foundation’s ‘Art Awards’.