I-solated Beings: Duo exhibition by Torlarp Larpjaroensook and Andreas Schulenburg

SAC Gallery invites 2 artists, Thai artist Torlarp Larpjaroensook and Danish artist Andreas Schulenburg (Supported by Danish Arts Foundation), to lead a visual discourse on the relationship between the individual and society through the enjoyment of life in duo exhibition “I-solated Beings”. This exhibition is also supported the Royal Danish Embassy.

Danish and Thai cultures, though seemingly quite different in regards to climate and social norms, share a very similar social attribute in their valuing of comfort and joy in everyday life. Danish “hygge” and Thai “sanuk” are 2 examples of words that represent a conscious effort within each respective culture to connect the individual experience happily into the greater society. Though different in their communal ambience and energy, both expressions signify a focus on life to remove stress, to be kind, and to enjoy the present moment. It was the famous Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, who said, “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced” and this message rings through in this duo exhibition. It could be argued that our personal and independent choices constitute our existence and Torlap and Andreas’ works provide the space to feel comforted in the present moment of our existences without attention being given to the times that lie ahead. They offer a freedom born from anxiety; that anguish we feel from our indecisions before we choose to live honestly.

This anxiety is present in many ways. With the ever increasing flow of information around the world, our modern society lies conflicted. The pace to establish a life of comfort and convenience leaves us both satisfied and alarmed. The future is uncertain and the plethora of options ahead will create contrasting dreams and desires. Our connection to each other is compounding as globalization grows and any fleeting ideas of a life of social independence are increasingly rebellious.  As the world of technology keeps us more stationary, we desire to be mobile and we desire to be secure in the results of our actions.  We fight between the calmness of our newfound comforts and the alarming sense that we are everyday feeling more alone.  There exists a deflated energy that is inadvertently showing our fears in the unknown. We reveal our private worlds so we can stay in the public conversation. We packaged this through humor because it’s too dark otherwise. We miss who we were and we half-heartedly desire the return of nostalgia. We chase ideals in theory and re-contextualize our surroundings to make society a vision we can manage. And that’s where we find freedom.

U.S.O. (Unidentified Standing Object) by Torlarp Larpjaroensook

Torlarp Larpjaroensook was born in 1977 and raised in a houseboat in Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. He started his study in formal art at the College of Fine Arts, Bangkok. Later on, he graduated with a BA majoring in Painting from the Fine Art Faculty at Chiang Mai University. Torlarp Larpjaroensook is a multidisciplinary artist who is interested in the interaction between people and artworks. He is also the founder of “Gallery Seescape”, an alternative art space, in Chiang Mai since 2008 in order to create connections between people and contemporary art. In 2009, he created a mobile gallery project called “3147966” and collaborated with other international artists. He had a solo exhibition “Bookshelf” at 8Q Singapore Art Museum in 2011, where his works were collected by the Singapore Art museum. He had another solo exhibition in Singapore, “In Progress”, at Richard Koh Fine Art Gallery. He was also invited to participate in Koganecho Bazaar 2013 in Yokohama, Japan to join the project of artist residency and to exhibit his artworks.

In “I-solated Beings”, Torlarp creates the U.S.O. (Unidentified Standing Object), invites viewers to discuss the correlations between object and space. Ever-present in the works of Torlarp are reassessments of the value of functions, materials, and locations. Through an “Unidentified Standing Object”, there lies an epiphany from the narrow mindedness. What we witness as a fully functional living space is an otherwise overlooked 20-year-old home water tank .The practically of the object and its new mobility (free from its previously fixed location) sets a contrasting thought afire that maybe we settle on the functionality of our creations prematurely. The tank has been fully repurposed and equipped with the makings of a modern living space; complete with bed and air con unit. The pre-existing conditions of the tools we devise in our cultures could be altered by a community that seeks to establish new connections to its environment. The appropriation of the water tank is guided by following the changes in surroundings whether remote in nature or active in public space. Furthermore, this “Unidentified Standing Object” explores aspects of community by offering new engagements through the compact and migratory living space.

The exhibition “I-solated Beings” will be held on the first floor of Art Centre Bldg., SAC Gallery from 11 March until 22 April 2018. The official opening ceremony will be held on 11 March 2018, 6:00PM onwards.