Sundaram Tagore Chelsea is pleased to present the first New York solo exhibition of work by Kamolpan Chotvichai, an emerging Thai artist based in Bangkok. The artist addresses issues of identity and gender in photo-based self-portraits. Challenging the formal limitations of paper and canvas, she meticulously hand-cuts images of her body, creating sinuous ribbons along various parts of her anatomy. Based on an understanding of Buddhist teachings, Chotvichai obliterates her identity, eliminating her face and literally strips away her physical form, in the process relinquishing attachment to her body.
Her artistic process is composed of multiple steps. She begins by sketching each composition before translating her concepts and postures into photographs. Before printing and mounting the portraits, she distorts her image in an intentional manner. Wielding an ordinary utility knife, she carefully slices areas of the canvas into strips. Through this process, she transforms two-dimensional photographs into three-dimensional sculpture-like works.
Born in Bangkok in 1986, Kamolpan Chotvichai received a Master of Fine Arts degree at Silpakorn University, Bangkok. She is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, including a Gold Medal at the 58th National Exhibition of Art (2012), Bangkok.
This year, her work was prominently featured in Thailand Eye at Saatchi Gallery, London, the first major survey of contemporary Thai art in the United Kingdom. Her work was shown alongside work by renowned Thai artists such as Rirkrit Tiravanija, Navin Rawanchaikul and Udomsak Krisanamis and was chosen for the cover of the book accompanying the exhibition. Thailand Eye is currently on view at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre through June 2016.