Artist : Roongroj Piamyossak ศิลปิน รุ่งโรจน์ เปี่ยมยศศักดิ์

2 0 0 0 : B h u d h a n u s s a t i 50

Spiritual Space

..."The Buddha Recollection" a painting installation, took 2 years for the artist, Roongroj Piamyossak, to complete.

This is a set of 50 paintings of Buddha's faces and abstract images.
The works are arranged to blend with the space of the exhibition hall and both become an integrated entity which turns into a sacred spiritual space and davotion.

...The artist got his inspiration from several ancient temples in the north whose architecture and Buddha images are unique as they are the products of distinctive local craftsmen.

The expression on the sculptures reflects the way the creator felt when they executed the images. Roongroj's intention is for the paintings to represent the Lord Buddha's teaching and philosophy.

The images of Buddha's faces are different in details. They are painted in two contrasting tones; the dark tone signifies humanity and the white signifies objects and materials, in this case, stucco was used for the Buddha's body parts. The Overall colour of the work is brown, giving the impression of stillness, tranquillity, solemnity and power.

... Besides the paintings of the Buddha's heads, Roongroj has also created some abstract paintings on canvases by applying the mixture of gesso and paper to create a cracking effect, which is the technique used to create an antique look for new objects widely used at Banthawai, a well known handicraft village in Chiang Mai.
The different shades of brown are applied in several layers over the cracked surface. Roongroj's brushstrokes reflect the sense of uncertainty or an abstract "formless" style seen as empty space.

In Buddhist interpretation, to place the Buddha's heads alternating with pictures of empty space conveys the "formless" condition.
Viewers can feel "the existence of form" and "the absence of form" which indicates birth and extinction. The ancient look indicates the past fluctuation, impermanence and the brevity of life, namely "sangsara."

... Roongroj's work also gives the impression of beautiful contradiction between the smoothness of Buddha's head images and the roughness of the cracked abstract surface, creating a strong psychological impact on the viewers.
The dim light in the exhibition hall and the light from tiny oil lamps placed at certain spots enhance the still, peaceful atmosphere, making visitors feel as though they are moving into a work of art itself which gives them additional dimensions of spirit, Dhamma and ecstasy.

This truly requiers viewers to apply their personal experience of perception, meditation and spiritual absorption.

... It is important to note that Roongroj's installation "The Buddha Recollection" is not created to resemble the interior of a Buddhist vihara of ordination hall, instead it is a work of the artist's faith and appreciation of Buddhism.

Thus, it can be calassified as one of the important contemporary "Buddhist art" pieces in Thailand's art circle.

Somporn Rodboon
Assistant ProfessorFaculty of Fine ArtsChiang Mai University

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