artist/ SURIYATONGTAM Tanawat

Thailande

Tanawat Suriyathongtam is a Thai artist born in 1977.
From the very beginning of his career, he stood out through a prolific body of work, blending techniques and materials in his collages and prints, while exhibiting continuously. Despite his productivity, he has always maintained a distinctive style that combines social satire, humor, and introspection.

Tanawat views contemporary art with ambivalence. Once more accessible, art was appreciated for its simple beauty. Today, it aims to unsettle and provoke thought, reflecting the diversity of artistic perspectives, with results that can be perceived as either good or bad. His work, which he refers to as “negative art,” is not intended to please or be beautiful, but to stimulate reflection. He often incorporates elements of the absurd and sarcasm.

Humor in his works softens what is sometimes sharp social critique. He portrays himself in various forms—man, woman, monk, politician—engaging in a self-mockery that includes everyone, himself included. For him, delivering a moral message is not the primary goal of art, even when it is satirical or politically engaged.