Karms
What may look horrific at first may reveal deeper layers of information and messages that get unraveled only after having an understanding of human psyche and the very layers and spectrums it consists. With such thoughts and intentions, Karms art work is journey of a psychological unraveling and visual thrill.
Karms please give our readers a little introduction on you and your background and I would like to know how art happened to you, how was life growing up?
I am Thammatat Saithong, or Karms, Thai artist, Bangkok based. My beginning was influenced by cartoons and animations, so I started painting and designing characters. During my campus life studying painting at Silpakorn University, I’ve put traditional painting and character design together to create my own work style.
As modern artistic mediums and practices evolve, Along with the evolution of its role in society. What you’d like to say about intellectual shifts that conceptuality in art invites in people.
Usually, the arts speak by themself. We just have to perceive them in different aspects, together with some ideas, to understand them better. Changes I’ve encountered always remind me of looking at the background ideas rather than just the content of the work, for fear that it would be only one-way communication. I’d rather bring the background of both the artist and the viewers through the idea of the work, so that it could be discussed and developed further.
Karms please explain the cute little characters of monsters you build. Where they coming from ? Whats the story, how did they come to life, what do they mean and what is its significance in you collections?
Mostly it started from my sketchbook when I tried to express things in my mind, to get to know it better, and to be references for my painting. I am also interested in Psychology, to understand people’s mind and how they perceive reality. Their perception and personality are shaped by their social contexts. The design of each character is based on the link between senses and those contexts. For me, it’s a language of its own, communicating between me and the viewers.
In the society where people are constantly looking for entertainment to make life an easy transition.. Art brings almost a paradoxical and amiguis emotion. What do you expect from your viewers and buyers? What are your intentions?
I think one’s entertainment is individual, different from one's point of view. For me, art could induce critical thinking and conversation, in order to develop one’s ideology and how they perceive problems in different social levels. It is also a concrete reflection of the social context at that moment, rather than only enjoyment for the artist and the viewers. I consider them as the initiation of information and idea exchange among people, just like the quote I usually use with my friends: "We run away from serious things to even more serious ones."
Art effects the psyche , mood and over all emotions of our being. I wonder what you go through on general basis while painting and creating?
My art is a communication to the world, expressing my attitude, reflecting everything I’ve been through. I am quite obsessed with the idea of "reality manipulation," no matter by influencers, or media; television or online, that leads people to perceive the world solely by their point of view. The biggest challenge is, for me, whether we are self-aware or not. Even if we truly desire to extend our point of view, it is undeniably questionable if we are still in such manipulation, and if we’ve overlooked any point of view.
You mentioned humanity is the core center of your focus and reflection. Are you bringing light upon the dark / shadow side of humans this way? What are you looking to achieve from this?
"Light and shadow coexist, one cannot exist without the other" is a quite clear explanation that every thing I’ve expressed is only a possibility from an individual point of view, no matter if it is good or bad. Next thing to consider is 'to whom’ it is good, or bad. We shall take some steps backward to see things from various points of view, to 'see' what it truly is. And later pass the question, not the judgment, to the viewers. I consider passing judgment a crime and insult to their humanity. My sole desire is to transform things to conflicts and questions for us, the artist and the viewers, to argue and exchange ideas.
What your work is intending for spiritual perspectives?
We can never know if the reality we encounter, with all our senses, is 'real.’ Utopia and dystopia, happiness and suffering, and all other things are real or not? It depends solely on how we have perceived the world. The existence of our 'free will' is just an illusion molded by our experience. While we enjoy our world and our surroundings, it is just individual reality. Can we just define our own happiness and suffering? Everything is defined by the norm of the society, just to create a standard? Can we consider a 'light gray' next to a 'black' as a 'white'? My intention is not simply finding answers, but rather passing the curiosity. The seemingly-to-be-answer things in my work are solely a reflection of the point of view and the judgment of mine. It is just a possibility, not the answer. I ask the viewers to consider more and more possibilities. One’s got their own point of view as well as the overlooked, which is unique. It is like a collaboration between the artist and the viewer to exchange ideas. An empty space full of discussion and idea sharing is what I spiritually desire.
What would you like to talk on AI’s influence on creative and art direction?
I have to say I am not an expert about this. But I think it’s interesting using AI to create visual objects reflecting thoughts of the artists, which may lead to new results. I have been studying it for a while and am looking forward to seeing how art could develop and how complicated it would become.
“Usually, the arts speak by themself. We just have to perceive them in different aspects, together with some ideas, to understand them better. We run away from serious things to even more serious ones.”
Last but not the least, what more exiting you looking forward for self and your art world in 2023.
I am now working on languages, not focusing on the writing systems. But as a way of communication, and how to comprehend the content. In my point of view, communication consists of many factors. To completely understand the content, there must be mutual perceptions between the sender and the receiver, including points of view, background experience, interpretation, body language, tone and rhythm. It is almost impossible to have all such mutual perceptions, so I am keen to learn how to minimize such gaps in communication.
interview JAGRATI MAHAVER
More to read
