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Preeyachanok Ketsuwan

artist cv: http://dis-locate.net/cv/ketsuwan.pdf

Preeyachanok graduated from Department of Traditional Thai Art, Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic art,  Silpakorn University and focuses her practice upon media art, feminism and community, providing a commentary on contemporary social issues. She has made detailed studies into the perceived female role in Thai traditional culture and the transmission of these values from one generation to the next. She has explored these ideas through sculptural, performative and video elements. An example of her early investigations involves reference to traditional Buddhist texts which represent female sexuality as exploited and suppressed by men, in particular in the tale of Naree Phol - the tale of women fruit in the Himmaphan forest. With regard to Buddhist meaning, these shaman are seen as demon, and Women Fruit are symbolized as sexual emancipation.

 She explores the continuing pressures of female culture from a young age which demand that girls stay at home and do housework while boys can go out and play with their friends. Freedoms and restrictions of gender are clearly marked from a young age which Preeyachanok describes as 'a cause of limitations in many women’s beliefs and ways of living'.

 She has created a body of work based on the image of the maternity dress which she uses as a symbol of women’s roles and responsibilities expected from social and cultural points of view. In these works she also employs hair with a dual meaning, firstly referencing the Buddhist scriptures in which hair is presented as an obstacle.  In an act which symbolized his rejection of worldly attachments the Buddha shaved his head before leaving his palace, his wife, child and riches in search of enlightenment. As a result, hair in Buddhist terms is seen as a form of karma in connection with male desire and pleasure. Secondly, in the modern sense,  hair has become a representation of  beauty, good health,  and social status. Preeyachanok comments 'Hair in my work represents two opposite implications fighting against each other. As a result my work expresses conflict,  pressure, and mystery that many women have encountered on a regular basis'. In her latest video work she is depicted with her mother making maternity dresses and attaching hair to them, implying that female cultures have been passed down from one to another generation without being questioned.

 She has also been engaged in a number of community projects working with children in slum areas and victims of Aids/HIV,  “One Book One Story” in Wat Kae-Nang-Leang slum. I encouraged children to narrate their lives through paintery diary.  My latest project with a group of friends entitled “One Scene in My Memory” is a continuation of  “One Book One Story”. I encouraged the children in this slum to explain their love towards their community and problems /that they are facing through paper-doll making.