Natee Utarit, ARCHETYPE, APOLLO 14, TORSO, UTOPIA (left to right, installation view), 2024, STPI handmade cast paper, dimensions variable. © Natee Utarit / STPI. Photo courtesy of the artist and STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, Singapore.
Déjà vu: Buddha is Hiding is 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 young 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.
Venue: STPI Creative Workshop and Gallery, 41 Robertson Quay, Singapore 238236
Hours: Mondays – Saturdays: 10am – 7pm
Sundays: 11am – 5pm
When: 28 Sep - 1 Dec 2024,
By: STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery
