Manit Sriwanichpoom

November 7th, 2007

Manit Sriwanichpoom is the biggest name in contemporary art in Thailand, mostly due to his Pink Man photographs. His last solo exhibit, Ordinary/Extraordinary, made up of stark black and white portraits of his neighbors, is now traveling to Europe while seven pictures he shot of Thailand’s hisos are being unveiled in the book and exhibit 9 Days in the Kingdom.

Hisos are like a hilltribe. They are a sub-culture. You don’t have to go far to observe people with strange customs. These people are living with us here, in the city.

I’m not trying to judge. I tried to portray them in an objective way. I want the photographs to speak for themselves. I’m not here to criticize.

I don’t live like these people. I don’t go to product launches or events.

Hisos are professionals, masters of their appearance. They take two hours to get prepared for a photo shoot .

The Pink Man represents the average person’s dreams. He tries to make himself international wearing a suit, but he is tacky and vulgar. His desires are never fulfilled, no matter how much he shops—hence the empty shopping cart.

Consumerism killed religion. Instead of fighting it, monks bless shops, lottery numbers, they sell amulets—in fact, they encourage consumerism.

People think I am the Pink Man. Sometimes they’re dis appointed when they meet me.

I became politically engaged because mycousin was part of the October [1976] Generation. I was 15 at that time, but when I entered university, the communist party had collapsed and these students who had fought for democracy were leaving the jungle and coming back to the city.

As students, we would talk about politics, about the poor, about the role of education and the university. There was a strong political current.

Most people are politically active in their youth. Then, as they become older seem to accept the state of things.

I’m the opposite. In my youth, I worried about my career, my art, about money. Once I became more established and I could stand on my own two feet , I could begin to really focus on helping others.

My work is about dreaming for a better world. I don't just dream though. My friends and I have created a political party, the Artists’ Party (Pak Silapin) to have a legal platform to voice our opinions. Politics and art are compatible. Both are ways of expressing your ideas. You can't change others, but you can change yourself. By thinking about the bigger picture, not just personal gain, I try to set an example. Thai culture grooms people to never grow up. We always look foto solve all our problems. Be honest to yourself. Don’t let t he phoo yai impress you and influence you.

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