Artists
Natee Utarit
Natee Utarit (1970, Bangkok, Thailand) is one of Southeast Asia's leading artists. His work, which merges Thai mythology, popular traditions and current political issues, creates a dialogue between the genres and symbols of European painting and the cultural roots of his native country. Like many Thai artists of his generation, Utarit studies the history of Western art, but soon begins to question the mythological and religious symbols and iconographies which have dominated that heritage. Through classical genres, such as portraiture, landscape, still life and history painting, the artist reflects on the visual strategies inherited from the West to address different issues, including identity, authenticity and cultural miscegenation. At a time, our present, that we can consider ‘post-western’, Utarit develops a personal style that seeks to generate his own voice within the codes imposed by the Eurocentric vision.
