Montien Boonma interview :
Reaching beyond tradition (1991)
Alfred Pawlin: You say you prefer your work not to look too complicated. So you use junk and scrap material and everyday utensils in your creations. Do you have any desire to work with more expensive materials and media?
Montien Boonma: At the moment, I’m very satisfied with simple materials for my work. These materials are easy to find in my surroundings. They aren’t of great value. Quite cheap, really. But I feel that it is important that they are part of my environment.
If someone, however, offered a large budget for a project then I would have to think about that specific project. But for now, I am really quite comfortable with my materials.
For me personally, an artist has to understand his situation and how to analyze it. And this also includes his economic and social circumstances, in fact, everything that constitutes his life. If artists really understand their specific situation then they can use it to create. From that I’d really like to work on projects like Village Life, Workers at a Construction Site, and Taxi drivers in the City.
Alfred Pawlin: Metamorphosis is a word that is used in some of your titles. Critics have often used it when writing about you and your work. What does it mean for you?
Montien Boonma: It means an image transformed into another image in which you can see both the former character and the change. I think that this was part of the ideology used earlier by traditional Thai artists. You find it in the Kinnaree, a mythological figure, which is half-human, half-bird. The two aspects are clearly joined together. And the Kinnaree can be seen as a monster, but also an angel.
In my work I use cattle hide in combination with a torch, agricultural tools, and the pipes of a motorcycle. I try to achieve a new form out of two contradictory elements or materials. The transformation of rural life into urban life is also an inspiration. I am fascinated by the edge, the borderline, the boundary between two realities. I try to express this in my work.
Alfred Pawlin: Buddhism is the religion of Thailand. It is a deep-rooted part of every aspect of the culture. How important is Buddhist symbolism to your work?
Montien Boonma: Being born in Thailand, a Thai, then Buddhist philosophy is already part of my cultural heritage. Personally, I have great respect for religious values, not only Buddhist, but in essence most of the world’s religions.
When I use pagodas or stupas in my work, the material makes me think of the activities of early Buddhism and its teachings. In one work, I use soil pigment as a symbol of Jesus and Christian thought. Jesus is supposed to have come from Heaven to live among the common people, so soil or sand can symbolize spiritual values. The candles in my paintings can also be interpreted in that way. I think the spiritual element helps man to concentrate on his own mind.
Alfred Pawlin: When you studied painting in Bangkok, in the 1970s, did you know much about [the media of art]?
Montien Boonma: First, I only wanted to work in painting and sculpture. Mostly, however, I concentrated on painting. At that time, there was really only information available on painting. Students, then, considered painting more important than sculpture and graphic arts. As a student, I really wanted to become a painter, but later on I became concerned with "the value of art" and wanted to explore something beyond painting and sculpture. I wanted to present a new form, but I had no idea what the end result would be.
Alfred Pawlin: How did this evolution come about?
Montien Boonma: It took a long time because information on art in Thailand was scarce. The most advanced news was from the USA. Gradually, though, more information became available and my own broader experience helped me to find another way to create.
Alfred Pawlin: Now you are no longer isolated. You have worked and studied in Paris. You have exhibited at the likes of the 8th Biennale in Sydney and the Vienna Art Festival, as well as in Tokyo, recently. You have also attracted the attention of a number of international curators. Are the international exhibitions and the attention you get from them important to your artistic and personal development?
Montien Boonma: For an artist it is very important to learn the opinions of people from other countries. Shows in foreign countries give you a better knowledge of the position of your work. Mostly, though, foreign exhibitions help you to reach a much wider audience.
Reflecting on people’s opinions has helped me to get a clearer image of my own position and for my work to make a stronger impact. It has also worked as an inspiration to future activity as well as helping me to discover ways so people can understand my work more easily.
Montien Boonma interview - 1 | 2 | 3
Montien Boonma: At the moment, I’m very satisfied with simple materials for my work. These materials are easy to find in my surroundings. They aren’t of great value. Quite cheap, really. But I feel that it is important that they are part of my environment.
If someone, however, offered a large budget for a project then I would have to think about that specific project. But for now, I am really quite comfortable with my materials.
For me personally, an artist has to understand his situation and how to analyze it. And this also includes his economic and social circumstances, in fact, everything that constitutes his life. If artists really understand their specific situation then they can use it to create. From that I’d really like to work on projects like Village Life, Workers at a Construction Site, and Taxi drivers in the City.
Alfred Pawlin: Metamorphosis is a word that is used in some of your titles. Critics have often used it when writing about you and your work. What does it mean for you?
Montien Boonma: It means an image transformed into another image in which you can see both the former character and the change. I think that this was part of the ideology used earlier by traditional Thai artists. You find it in the Kinnaree, a mythological figure, which is half-human, half-bird. The two aspects are clearly joined together. And the Kinnaree can be seen as a monster, but also an angel.
In my work I use cattle hide in combination with a torch, agricultural tools, and the pipes of a motorcycle. I try to achieve a new form out of two contradictory elements or materials. The transformation of rural life into urban life is also an inspiration. I am fascinated by the edge, the borderline, the boundary between two realities. I try to express this in my work.
Alfred Pawlin: Buddhism is the religion of Thailand. It is a deep-rooted part of every aspect of the culture. How important is Buddhist symbolism to your work?
Montien Boonma: Being born in Thailand, a Thai, then Buddhist philosophy is already part of my cultural heritage. Personally, I have great respect for religious values, not only Buddhist, but in essence most of the world’s religions.
When I use pagodas or stupas in my work, the material makes me think of the activities of early Buddhism and its teachings. In one work, I use soil pigment as a symbol of Jesus and Christian thought. Jesus is supposed to have come from Heaven to live among the common people, so soil or sand can symbolize spiritual values. The candles in my paintings can also be interpreted in that way. I think the spiritual element helps man to concentrate on his own mind.
Alfred Pawlin: When you studied painting in Bangkok, in the 1970s, did you know much about [the media of art]?
Montien Boonma: First, I only wanted to work in painting and sculpture. Mostly, however, I concentrated on painting. At that time, there was really only information available on painting. Students, then, considered painting more important than sculpture and graphic arts. As a student, I really wanted to become a painter, but later on I became concerned with "the value of art" and wanted to explore something beyond painting and sculpture. I wanted to present a new form, but I had no idea what the end result would be.
Alfred Pawlin: How did this evolution come about?
Montien Boonma: It took a long time because information on art in Thailand was scarce. The most advanced news was from the USA. Gradually, though, more information became available and my own broader experience helped me to find another way to create.
Alfred Pawlin: Now you are no longer isolated. You have worked and studied in Paris. You have exhibited at the likes of the 8th Biennale in Sydney and the Vienna Art Festival, as well as in Tokyo, recently. You have also attracted the attention of a number of international curators. Are the international exhibitions and the attention you get from them important to your artistic and personal development?
Montien Boonma: For an artist it is very important to learn the opinions of people from other countries. Shows in foreign countries give you a better knowledge of the position of your work. Mostly, though, foreign exhibitions help you to reach a much wider audience.
Reflecting on people’s opinions has helped me to get a clearer image of my own position and for my work to make a stronger impact. It has also worked as an inspiration to future activity as well as helping me to discover ways so people can understand my work more easily.
Montien Boonma interview - 1 | 2 | 3
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