Bienal de Pontevedra

In his symbolically charged compositions, Natee Utarit combines ancient and modern elements, both Christian and Buddhist iconographies, to create works that explore social, political and religious issues. One of the most interesting aspects of his work is the reinterpretation of the Buddha figure, often presented ironically to address problems like consumerism, globalisation and the tensions between the sacred and the profane. An example of this is this work, in which the reclining Buddha is surrounded by Greek columns and volcanoes. It was inspired by Francesco di Giorgio's Architectural Veduta, a 15th-century painter from the Sienese School, which shows an ideal city. He merges Buddhism with Greco-Roman iconography to provide a critique of Western cultural domination and suggest a new way of understanding history and culture from a different perspective.