Mythical figures from the Kingdom’s epic Ramakien feature alongside Western cultural icons such as John Wayne, Barak Obama and Marilyn Monroe to explore the issues of class and abuse of power. Jirapat completed his bachelor’s degree at Chiang Mai University with a thesis painting titled “Foreign Intervention”, which was also awarded the Grand Prize for Contemporary Art in the 3rd Panasonic Contemporary Painting Exhibition in 1997. In 1999, he acquired a master’s degree at Silapakorn University with a thesis painting titled “Green Goblin vs Maiyarap", which was also awarded the Grand Prize in the 4th Panasonic Contemporary Painting Exhibition in 2002. Other accolades followed including awards at the Toshiba Thailand’s Contemporary Art Competitions, and 2010 Sovereign Asian Art Prize. He was the only Thai artist featured in a recent book published by Thames & Hudson titled “100 Painters of Tomorrow”.

Source: The Nation Bangkok June 04, 2019 06:22 UTC