Exploring Paphonsak La-or’s Prospects: Mit Jai Inn's Latest Exhibition

In 'Paphonsak La-or's Prospects', Mit Jai Inn explores the narrative of Thai artist Paphonsak La-or's artworks which address Thailand's political issues present in Thailand. This impressive exhibition is held at 39+ Art Space and will run from 15 January to 12 March in Singapore. Mit Jai Inn is at the forefront of Thailand's contemporary art scene and is well known for his large-scale abstract paintings that appear to envelop viewers in the canvas.

'Paphonsak La-or's Prospects' features a collection of 12 paintings of sunrises and sunsets deliberately arranged in the exhibition space to depict the temporality and continuity of the dawn and dusk. These works depict twilight scenes from 12 countries where Thai political refugees seek asylum. These works are sequenced according to the time zones, starting from Japan and progressing eastward across the globe before finishing in Thailand. The paintings on the left wall mirror the sunrise, while those on the right wall reflect the sunset. The series on the centre wall represents the daytime and bridges the two events. Each painting has a smaller work placed on top of them, which the artist refers to as 'windows'. Each window displays a moment that contrasts its background. For example, if a piece depicts a sunrise, its corresponding 'window' portrays its opposite. Mit aimed to convey the idea that if you were to open the 'window', you would be able to see the sky in the daytime, giving the impression of alternating between different times. 

The exhibition also features Mit's installation of works comprising a series of paintings strung together to form a giant tunnel over 12 metres long. Mit invites visitors to walk through and interact with the works through touch. The tunnel features an outer surface depicting a landscape of the twilight sky as the sun sets, with an orange glow spreading over the canvas as darkness begins to creep in, and an inner surface portraying the opposite; a landscape of the dawning sky with the sun softly shining across the canvas. Windows were cut at regular intervals along the walkway to invite the visitors to push them open, or leave them ajar, to take a glimpse of the outside of the tunnel.

As the viewer progresses down the tunnel, a large painting that acts as a partition greets the viewer. Its front delineates the last rays of light at dusk, dotted with dozens of suns strewn throughout the canvas, while its back outlines the first rays of light at dawn.

On the surface, this exhibition may appear to be a mere collection of landscape paintings in a semi-abstract style that deviates from the artist's usual practice. However, it is a visual reflection of the current state of Thai politics resulting from the ongoing Thai political crisis of 2005. The crises arose from the clash of principles and ideologies between institutions such as a network of capitalists, military institutions, and the monarchy and newer generations and democrats championing rights, liberties, and equality. Over the past ten years, there has been a multitude of people calling out for justice, with some classified as prisoners of conscience and others requesting political asylum. To Mit, the present political situation, which remains uncertain, makes it difficult to move forward, and he likens this to the sky's transition between sunrise and sunset in this exhibition. Although indistinguishable, when the time comes the old sun must retire from the sky and allow the new sun to take over.

Mit also named the exhibition's protagonist Paphonsak in the hope that the works in this exhibition would serve as a backdrop for the narrative that reflects Paphonsak's and refugees' prospects on Thailand's present political predicament.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of works in this series will be donated to support democracy in Thailand and the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), as well as to support the space for new-generation artists to exhibit their work.

Mit Jai Inn was born in 1960 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He is a member of an ethnic minority called the ‘Yong’. Mit became a novice monk at Djittabhawan Buddhist College, Pattaya from 1970-76. He began his artistic training in 1983 at Silpakorn University in Bangkok. Leaving for Europe in 1986, he enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts programme at Angewandte Kunst Wien in 1988. There, he worked as a studio assistant of Franz West from 1988-92. Returning to Thailand in 1992, he and several other artists co-founded the Chiang Mai Social Installation (CMSI). In the fourth and final edition of CMSI, Mit launched the Week of Cooperative Suffering to focus on public engagement activities.

Over the past two decades, his work has been shown in artist initiatives, museums, galleries, and large-scale exhibitions, including the Yokohama Triennale (2005); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2007), REDCAT, Los Angeles (2007), Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (2011), Singapore Art Museum (2014), Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2017), Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (2019), Museum MACAN, Jakarta, (2019), IKON Gallery, London (2021), and at the 18th and 21st editions of the Biennale of Sydney (2012 and 2018). In 2015, Mit founded Cartel Artspace in Bangkok for artists and curators to reflect on the historical and current context of Thailand and Southeast Asia. Mit currently lives and works in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Exhibition Dates: 15 Jan — 12 Mar 2022
Address: 39 Keppel Road, 03-01, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore 089065
Opening Hours: 
Tuesday - Friday: 11am - 7pm
Saturday - Sunday: 12 - 6pm