New York: Pinaree Sanpitak

Pinaree Sanpitak, Gathering Table, 2023, acrylic, drypoint, feathers, and gold leaf on canvas, 86 5/8 × 98 3/8”.

“The title “Fragile Narratives” is a reflection on how precarious our world is, a contemplation on how we can keep balanced while still making the best out of this life. For me, this sense of fulfillment often comes from my solitude. I’m a very domestic person: Much like my artworks, my home keeps me grounded. So, naturally, this sense of domesticity and rootedness materializes in my paintings. They are developed very slowly: I take my time composing my forms and symbols, so as to create moods, stories, and sensations. For Gathering Table, I envisioned the body as a landscape, or home-scape. I imagine it as a space of congregation and intimacy. On that floating body-table, I revived symbols from my previous works, such as the breast cloud, the golden breast stupa, and a print from the “Womanly Bodies” series. Within this evanescent terrain, fragments of my practice collide to form a metaphorical regale through art, food, and human connections.

My fascination with the body—its form and texture—also manifests in an instinctive draw to certain materials. If I go out in the world and see things that I like—a shapely pot or a papery roll of mulberry bark—I will collect them, even though I don’t know how to use them until much later. There’s a time for every material to reveal itself, to be part of your work. For example, the first Womanly Bodies was created in 1998—a set of twenty-five hanging sculptures made with mulberry bark, pounded and stretched into fibrous sheets. They looked fragile but possessed an admirable durability. Still, I knew that they would not work on canvas. That is, until twenty-two years later, when I was able to realize them on canvas with mawata silk. My discovery of mawata was quite serendipitous, as it’s derived from silkworms who eat mulberry leaves—my original medium. The work thus feels like an embodiment of life cycles, both bioorganic and artistic. The mawata lends itself to novel and subtle interpretations. And that’s how I work: My works are layered, similar to a book, a poem, or a film. As you peel away each filament, the story continues to unfurl.”

Interview with Pinaree Sanpitak about her first solo exhibition “Fragile Narratives” at Galerie Lelong & Co.

Read the full interview on Artforum.

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