AWDB speaks to Nino Sarabutra, an artist from Thailand known for her ceramic works that explore themes of self, human emotions, and physical sensations such as taste. Having worked on her craft for over ten years, her practice ranges from tableware and functional household items to expansive art installations.
This February, ARDEL’s Third Place (Bangkok) will present Sarabutra’s solo exhibition ‘Red Earth and Green Papaya’, an homage to the ‘somtum’, or spicy green papaya salad. In this show, she will feature mixed media installations in reddish earthy colours that highlight the cultural importance of the dish, including the ‘mortar’, the main instrument used to create the iconic spicy salad originating from Isan, northeastern Thailand.
We speak to Nino Sarabutra about the little joys in life that she incorporates into her artwork for her upcoming exhibition.
What are your inspirations, and how have they impacted your art practice?
My inspirations are life, human existence, how we behave as humans, and social change. My artworks often reference love and positivity, which reflects my personal state of mind and my emotions. All of these ideas of humanity interest me and I pour them into my work, specifically through natural elements such as fire, soil and clay, which are relevant to my ceramic art practice. And often with the Thai way of sharing food, the well-being of life being discussed and observed around the meals, are also very important in my work.
What are some things you have learnt from the process of creating installations?
Over time, I have learned that a great, clear idea is the key. After I have figured that out, I create the work and find the right team to construct the job. It comes together like that. If you have a good idea and a good team, the result will be great!
You make ceramic art and installations that are there only for viewing, but also functional household items. Is there a difference between crafting ceramics for practical use and ceramics for exhibitions in galleries?
Ceramics take time to develop and to produce, no matter if made for practicality or an art installation. But for art gallery and museum installations, the ideas need to be fresh and that takes time to develop. You cannot rock it up overnight! In both cases though, my craft is meditative and repetitive.
About your upcoming exhibition, ‘Red Earth and Green Papaya’, what are the meanings behind the iconography such as the red earth, the papaya and the mortar, for example?
This exhibition is an exploration of my upbringing in Isan where their cuisine is very unique. The food there is organic, tasty and healthy. The most popular is the ‘Somtum’ dish, a spicy salad mainly made of ‘Green Papaya’. This exhibition incorporates many natural elements to reflect the natural methods used to make the dish. ‘Red Earth’, or the red soil, references the Isan people and the importance of the mortars used to create Somtum, which is world famous.
The mortar is the main focus of the exhibition; to symbolise Isan culture and give appreciation to the tool found in many Thai people’s kitchens. The mortar installations were crafted with the help of skilled potters from the ‘Tai Yor’ community in Tha Uthen District, Nakhon Phanom. Each piece has its own unique identity, I alternated the usual circular mouth into a square shape. Through each of the 300 mortars, a circular hole was mounted with 300 pictures of Isan life printed on clear acrylics, offering viewers a glimpse of Isan. They are strung in layers in a rectangular bamboo structure, which resembles the ‘illuminated boat’, which is the procession created to celebrate the end of the Buddhist lent and to pay respect to the Naga on the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom. I reference the ‘Red Earth’ through the large-scale paintings of the mortar, the red colour palette extracted from dry Isan soil. The paintings look very similar but they are not the same. Just like somtum – the food, you can never make the same somtum ever, even though you use the same mortar or the same ingredients.
What do you hope to convey to your audience with this show?
I took these primary, traditional elements and objects that have been used throughout Thai history, and created artworks out of them that branch out of the norm. I want to offer the audience a glimpse of Isan. From far away the area seems dry and poor, but not many people have taken the time to visit and see the deep roots of it. There are reasons why somtum is so tasteful. It’s the people, the nature and the culture of Isan that make green papaya into a distinctive and significant dish.
It’s a way to look back at your roots, while looking ahead to ancestral wisdom to reach ideal happiness in today’s world that is in turmoil.
‘Red Earth and Green Papaya’ is showing at ARDEL’s Third Space (Bangkok) from 17 February to 30 March 2024. For more information please click here.
INTERVIEW COURTESY OF NINO SARABUTRA AND ART WORLD DATABASE, FEBRUARY 2024.