10 Questions with Tanapol Suriyachottakul

Tanapol Suriyachottakul, a Thai artist born in 2001 in Bangkok, developed his passion for art through a unique childhood shaped by his step-grandfather's private library, filled with serious literature and artefacts. A pivotal moment came when a fashion magazine introduced him to art history, igniting his artistic ambitions. Tanapol pursued Industrial Design at KMITL, graduating in 2023, where he honed his understanding of product design and human-centred concepts. After graduation, he shifted to art full-time, supported by his mother, who provided him with a studio. Currently studying Art Theory at Silpakorn University, he merges his design knowledge, philosophical interests, and childhood memories into his artistic practice, which often explores themes like dystopia, existentialism, and human nature through surreal and cubist styles.

@paxsuriart

ARTIST STATEMENT

Tanapol approaches his art with a methodical, almost analytical mindset, likening his process to solving equations. Central to his work is the concept of Nihilism, which he portrays through calculated compositions and symbolic objects like mannequins and metallic forms. His paintings construct a world of distorted realities, reflecting the emptiness and meaninglessness of existence. Tanapol's creative process is emotionally detached, emphasizing logic and data analysis, while he sees the viewer's emotional response as integral to experiencing his work. His paintings evolve as chapters in a narrative, exploring various aspects of Nihilism, from its core principles to its emotional impacts, inviting viewers to interpret and connect with his themes uniquely.

Anger, Oil on Canvas, 70x90 cm, 2024 © Tanapol Suriyachottakul

INTERVIEW

First off, introduce yourself and your work to our readers. Who are you, and what is your practice about?

Greetings, I’m Tanapol, and you can call me Pac, but first, I need to tell you a little bit about my backstory. Before I became an artist, I graduated in Industrial Design with a major in Jewelry Design from KMITL. After I graduated from university in mid-2023, just only 3 months later, I informed my mom at that moment that I wanted to become an artist as I had always dreamed, and at that moment, I decided to change myself from a Jewelry Designer student to an Artist. And yes, I’m a newborn Artist who painted in a Surrealist-Cubism with an abstract Concept without a doubt. According to my art style, my work is like a “Result” of my point of view after research for my art process (Paint), and a story is about Nihilism in The Box, My process is like data in a Computer that changes an abstract philosophy concept to be a Substantial in one Dimension.

Your early exposure to your step-grandfather's library has greatly influenced you. Can you describe how those "serious books" shaped your artistic journey?

I remember reading a serious book on my step-grandpa’s private library shelf. It had a wide range of books, including Engineering Technology, Circuit Systems for Engineers, and even Philosophy books like “Beyond the Good and Evil,” “Republic” by Plato, and “Social Contract.” These books had a profound impact on me, shaping my thoughts and ideas like an “Output” after processing a lot of data from them. They(Books) taught me the importance of clearly explaining my point of view, the same as a book can convey its message and make it understandable to the reader. My artwork embodies this concept, presenting a story or the result of my creative process.

Greed, Oil on Canvas, 70x90 cm, 2024 © Tanapol Suriyachottakul

Nihilism I, Oil on Canvas, 100x80 cm, 2024 © Tanapol Suriyachottakul

What pivotal moments helped you realize you wanted to be an artist? And how did they influence your journey in the art world?

I have a vivid memory from around 2006-2007. I was just 5 or 6 years old, old enough to read and understand simple words from magazines. I was bored while sitting in the library with my step-grandpa. I asked him for some manga or comic books to read and pass the time. But he just walked to a shelf and brought a magazine called “HELLO.” It was a popular celebrity magazine in Thailand. I had no idea why he gave me that magazine. When I opened it, I saw a painting called “The Wedding of Queen Victoria” by George Hayter from 1840. That painting was a huge inspiration for me. I had never seen anything like it before. The details, colours, and the central figure of Queen Victoria were all so captivating. After reading the magazine cover to cover, I made a promise to myself. I wanted to become an artist, no matter what. Yes, just only one book that changes my life forever.

How does your background in industrial design influence the way you create art?

At the heart of Industrial Design lies the fundamental understanding of the "Basic Needs" of humans. This concept drives the creation of products that address specific problems in our daily routines. For instance, many people struggle to peel a banana without damaging its core, so the Designer will make a product that helps people peel a banana without damage or at least does a little damage to the banana's core. From my perspective, I believe that one of the strengths of the Industrial Design lesson that I showcased in my artwork is an attempt to explain the phenomenon of Nihilism. Industrial designers often try to understand the pain point of Product users; same as me for this concept I transform from abstract to Substantial, representing the effects of Nihilism as a metallic object which I always put in my collections. The mannequin and the dimension that I included in my collection also contribute to this explanation. I've always thought that everything can be explained on a canvas, even if it's not immediately understandable to the audience. At least, it can help clarify the concept of Nihilism in some way.

Collapse of Mind perception, Oil on Canvas, 80x100 cm, 2023 © Tanapol Suriyachottakul

You often use objects like mannequins and metal in your art. What do these objects mean to you? And why did you choose them in the first place?

Let me share two pieces of my thoughts on Compositions. First, I want to talk about mannequins. From my perspective, they represent humans, but humans don't have free will from my point of view. So, they look lifeless, like they're just puppets made of something that doesn't exist. They're like symbols of the first chapter. Every human gives them meaning, but they're still meaningless. In a way, they're just another variation in the Nihilism Equation. Second, I want to share my thoughts on a metallic object in my collection. I've always been fascinated by metallic objects when I was younger. When you look at a metallic object, you can see a reflection of yourself. This idea comes from a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche in "Beyond the Good and Evil." It says, 'If you stare into the abyss, the abyss will stare back at you.' But I changed the word 'abyss' to 'reflective' to mean that the object reflects your own thoughts and feelings. So, I'm telling the audience how close you are to nothingness.

You've described your work as an "Equation of Nihilism." What does this mean, and how do you use it to structure your artistic process?

I believe in an artistic process that can explain everything if you make it as an Equation which needs to manage compositions, and details in a Painting; it may not be different from another artist who needs to manage their artistic style before they paint or draw it, but I believe that if I can make every single process in my artwork as Equation in Mathematics, it will be a good benefit for an audience that will understand my work better than before, same as an "Equation of Nihilism" it's an explanation of "Output" from the "Input" process after I do a research or tried to understand about an abstract concept of Nihilism, yes, it could be considered as a "Result" after that reconstruction a structure of Nihilism concept in a Box, my collection will focus on a Reconstruct of an abstract concept and transfer them as a substantial.

You describe your creative process as very logical. How does this affect the emotions you want people to feel when they see your art?

My creative process is quite logical to me. I see myself as a thinking machine with emotions in some statistics, just like a regular human. I didn't expect people to react to my artwork by expressing their emotions to me. But what's interesting is how people react to my artwork. I often ask myself, 'How do they feel when they see the result of nihilism in a scenario dimension?' I'm sure they'll have a range of emotions. To make it clear to the readers, imagine yourself in an elevator with a lot of people inside. Then, turn around and observe everyone's reaction to what you see. Just stare at them and do nothing more. That's kind of like my artwork. I didn't expect people to look at my work with a strict emotion that they had to let out. It could be wonder, fear, fascination, or even disgust.

Your compositions often feature distorted human forms and abstracted environments. How do these elements reflect the themes you want to explore? And what message do they help you communicate?

In my Nihilism Dimension, I depict distorted human figures or mannequins engaged in an internal struggle against Meaningless and Non-Existent. Their movements often convey agony, suffering, or even pain. A human figure with an iron collar symbolizes the illusion of free will, a concept humans believe they possess but are ultimately led to live in a meaningless world. Abstract dimensions in my paintings represent a fake-existing environment with a crimson colour. This setting evokes a sense of uncomfortable, but it also highlights the fragility of existence. Outside this dimension, a black nothingness, akin to the 'Abyss' as described by Nietzsche, signifies the void beyond our understanding. My message to the audience is to emphasize the gap between people (who exist based on false meanings) and nothingness. I encourage them to reflect on their values, meanings, and roles in this complex world that emerged from nothingness.

The answer of Emptiness and Void, Oil on Canvas, 80x100 cm, 2023 © Tanapol Suriyachottakul

Your current series is set up like chapters in a book. What inspired this narrative approach, and how do you want viewers to interpret these "chapters"?

As a child, my life felt like a story unfolding in a book. Each chapter had a clear direction, guiding me to the parts I wanted to read. Inspired by my childhood memories, I created a series of paintings that I call 'Chapters.' Each chapter contains a collection of paintings that tell a story about the Nihilism Equation Analysis. Within each chapter, there are also 'Sections,' each of which is a separate painting. Every chapter also has a story specific to a Nihilism Story; for example, chapter 1 will tell you the result of Nihilism at a Fundamental level, and Chapter 1 also has a section which contains an "Explanation" as a side story per painting as my Result Analysis. Just imagine when you're looking at my paintings, you're not trying to Look at a painting, but imagine yourself that you're reading a book which doesn't have any alphabet on a painting(In abstract) and trying to understand an explanation in each chapter. There's no need to read them as a sequent; you can begin with Chapter 2, Section 3, and next is Chapter 1. Section 4 is also good; there's no right or wrong; just let a painting be similar to the encyclopedia, so there is no need to read it Sequently.

Lastly, as you continue to study Art Theory, what new perspectives or ideas are you hoping to integrate into your work? How do you see your art evolving in the future?

Art Theory is a department that studies the context and relationship between people and art. I also studied Art History in the past and a famous artist too. I believe before I continued studying for my Master's Degree that, this Department could fulfil my Missing Knowledge about art because I did not graduate with in Fine Art subject, which is a subject that can elaborate my knowledge about the Story of art better this Art theory's Department. And yes, I also believe in my art evolving in the future from a "Knowledge" that could help me develop my artwork, such as a methodology of painting and a process of developing my concept art. In conclusion, I studied from case study in a past can build more your potential, and also Practice a Method from them.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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