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The paintings of Neti Phikroh made me think about my journey to do a postgraduate thesis which was about a government power plant in Mae Hongson Province in the North of Thailand. At that time, diesel was used to generate electricity for people near the border of Myanmar. The diesel price was very steep but the government needed to provide the same price throughout Thailand. It took me several trips to finalize the whole research. Travel by plane was our only option. My staff and I paid respect to some beautiful temples and some Mon and Burmese arts. Our team gave food and donations to the temples. In the morning after breakfast we did this every time before we arrived to do our work. The spectacular scenery and nice people living around there were marvelous. There we found the principal Buddha image was made of teakwood or stone which had the same hardiness as jade stones. The brows of Buddha images were carefully painted and highlighted more than the Thai style Buddha image. Their lips were also painted in crimson red. These characteristics were clearly Burmese style. The roofs of Vihara's temples were stacked in many layers and adorned with etched zinc plates which was a cultural legacy of ancient Burmese temple construction.
One morning my team went to a temple not far from town and gave food to the monks as usual. When we walked to the wooden Vihara, a group of traveling monks on pilgrimage rested there.. Many of my teammates greeted them and asked about the start and end points of their pilgrimage. After I paid respect to the black Buddha image painted with red lips, I heard one of the young monks say that he would not tell anyone about the routes of this pilgrimage, even his family. Surprised, I turned to asked him "even your own mother?" He said yes and he did not have connection with anyone during pilgrimage. In their bare feet, the monks set their own goal to travel further to seek the tranquility, not to expect to get any food or drinking water. The voyage was uneventful because people always gave food to the monks. I asked again:"Why you do not tell your parents? Your mommy must be so concerned about you.". He responded to me immediately. "The pilgrimage must not be disturbed by anyone. If you do that, you are the Mara." After a brief moment, I turned back to see the lips of the principal Buddha image again and I walked away.
The Mara of Neti Phikroh is the final article in which I would like to tell about the secrets and mysteries of Lanna Thai culture and Buddhism's beliefs, traditions, ceremonies, art and culture. I wrote about this in my two previous articles. The first one is an article about arts and black magic in talismanical garb which many believed could be used as a protection from dangers when Lanna soldiers were fighting together with elephant and horse troops. The artist is Lipikorn Makaew. The second one is about painting, singing and dancing of the spirits by Withaya Phonwithun.
In an afternoon of May, I went to visit Neti Phikroh at his house at the foothills of Doi Suthep Mountain, next to Wat Ram Poeng and Wat Pongnoi temples. The weather that day was very sunny.
JY:I would like to know about your current works and projects.
NP: The concept of my present work is a part of my postgraduate Art Thesis entitled "Mara". I am inspired by old mural paintings in the temples. One of the Buddha's stories tells us about "Mara" which symbolized three evil desires (greed, anger and delusion). The old mural paintings reflect the value and abstract concept of Buddhism philosophy so that people can understand Buddha's teachings more easily. The "Mara" acts as a guide and is a symbol of freedom from sufferings and the defeat of desires.
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I am personally interested and realized the value from moral lessons about the invasion of Mara. Most of my paintings in this set depict the Mara Lord and his minions. This can be used as a guide and inspiration to create Thai contemporary art that merges old teachings and imagination together. I created lines, textures, shapes, forms using artistic methods that connect with my imagination of the Mara Lord as a representative of the mind. There are emotions like frustration and sensation to show the power of harmonious conflicts according to each painting's concept.
JY:What about your past art education, successful jobs and future plans?
NP: I was born and raised in a rural village that was very similar to the Lanna style. We have a close connection to Buddhism and local cultural arts. This helps me to love and respect those works and I learned a lot from local artists. As a child, I practiced woodcarving, painting and Lanna mural paintings. They are my inspiration in my painting. I am also interested in finding newer techniques apart from the conventional style and experimenting with new materials that can blend well with the painting. Finally I found a method that suits me best. Specifically, the old moral lessons in my creation from traditional concepts of good and evil became contemporary painting from moral teaching and my own creativity. This goes well with the essence of a powerful natural movement utilizing some mixed techniques. From the combination of my experience and subconscious relying on artistic composition, natural elements and visual elements, this is the heart of my creations. Moreover, the contrast of light and shadow, the empty space, texture and structure that was mixed with artistic creation and expressions in art are also important.
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From my past successful works, I received many awards from international art contests and my solo exhibitions. This is a significant step in the path of an artist and I still consider them a good starting point for creating more superb and a larger scale of works.
For my future projects, besides the consistent art creation for exhibiting artworks in Thailand, if I had a chance to present my works to global communities, I would like to do a non-profit organization to support newer generations of artists and art lovers.
JY:What is your most dominant impression about your own work?
NP: As a Thai artist, there is nothing better than my own accomplishments. I imagined in my mind that I am among the greatest who create interesting contemporary artworks.
Art can be made almost anywhere in the world. It derives from the fundamentals of living. Thailand is just a small place in the world. In the current digital era, every society can learn about others using the internet but it cannot be denied that the essential language to create understanding among countries is the language of Art. It can explain the differences and afford mutual understanding. Thailand has the firm basics of beautiful art and culture. Other artists and I try to explain and tell about Thailand. People can see the uniqueness of Southeast Asia as well.
Artist Information
Neti Phikroh
Education
B.A. in Thai Art (2nd class honor) The faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University.
M.A. Visual Arts, Department of Thai Arts, Silpakorn University.
Artist and lecturer in the department of Thai Art, The faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University.
Recent Awards
2003: The winner of the France-Thai Painting contest at Amari Chiang Mai
2011: Outstanding award, 1st Asia plus art contest "Beautiful World by Nature" at theExhibition Hall Queen Sirikit, Bangkok.
2012: Outstanding award, 2nd Asia-Plus art contest "Imaginary world" at the Exhibition Hall Queen Sirikit, Bangkok.
Scholarship from the Statesman Prem Tinnasulanonda foundation
Special award from the art contest "Way of Lanna Buddhism " at Nacha Artists' Residence, Chiang Mai
Exhibitions
2003: 3rd, Thai traditional art, The faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University.
Art exhibition for students at Salle Nougaro, Toulouse, France
2006: 5th Thai traditional art, The faculty of Architecture, Silpakorn University.
2013: Art Thesis, Mara, Chamchuri Art Gallery, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok
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