{"id":9066,"date":"2024-02-21T14:54:47","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T07:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kathmanduphotobkk.com\/?p=9066"},"modified":"2024-07-02T08:09:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T01:09:33","slug":"holy-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kathmanduphotobkk.com\/?p=9066","title":{"rendered":"Holy Land"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kathmandu Photo Gallery proudly presents<\/p>\n

Holy Land<\/b><\/h1>\n

A Solo Exhibition of Photography by<\/p>\n

Kamthorn Paowattanasuk<\/b><\/p>\n

Curator
\nAkkara Naktamna<\/b><\/p>\n

16 March \u2013 11 May 2024<\/p>\n

[Opening party Sat 16 March, 6.30 \u2013 9.00 pm.]<\/i><\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

Temples (Wat) are considered sacred places where people can come to let go of their worries and seek peace. They are also seen as places where monks can attain enlightenment and where people can accumulate merit for this life and beyond.<\/p>\n

For Kamthorn Paowattanasuk (Lek), temples are also like galleries or museums that showcase Thai art from the past, present, and contemporary. He has been observing and documenting these artistic objects since 2008, from the rise of “golden figure monks” to the emergence of “wax figure monks” that are as realistic as Madame Tussauds wax figures. Lek has seen temples built with aluminum, resin caves that transform into Naga (\u0e1e\u0e0d\u0e32\u0e19\u0e32\u0e04) palaces, and temples with escalators for the convenience of worshippers. He has also seen dinosaur statues and Marvel superheroes placed in temples to attract kids.<\/p>\n

Holy Land is a long-term project that explores the contemporary Buddhist art found in Thai temples. These temples often incorporate bizarre sculptures and futuristic objects in order to attract Buddhists to come and make merit. This trend is growing rapidly and seems unstoppable. In addition to the sculptures, the newly created miraculous legends that are associated with them, as well as the cross-cultural mixing, such as the construction of a Japanese Torii Gate that is combined with a Naga staircase leading to the ordination hall, surrounded by Cherry Blossom trees and Maneki Neko. This is an incredibly creative and unexpected idea from the creator.<\/p>\n

Lek said, “If one day the world collapses and future archaeologists come to excavate these dinosaur statues that have never been recorded in history, how will they interpret them?” This is a good question that will no doubt be a source of headaches for future archaeologists and their descendants. As for us, the good Buddhists today, let\u2019s enjoy ourselves and gain merit from these holy lands.<\/p>\n

Kamthorn Paowattanasuk (Lek) is a well-known Thai photo artist and former assistant to photographer Surat Osathanugrah. Kamthorn is passionate about travel, and his work explores and reveals social and environmental landscapes. His work has been exhibited both in Thailand and abroad, including at The King of Our Heart, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Bangkok (2017), Postcard from Thailand, RMA Institute, Bangkok (2014), Month of Photography, M Gallery, Tokyo (2010), The Orange Photo Festival, Changza (2010).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t