After Sunflowers

The enchantment surrounding the narrative of Van Gogh’s sunflowers leads to questions about the symbolic meaning of sunflowers in various contexts, even across different nationalities, cultures, and occasions. While the sunflowers of Niratchaporn and those of Van Gogh may belong to different worlds, they share a common bond that communicates profound happiness and unaltered enjoyment. Thus, she has a mindset to elevate the role of those sunflowers to another level, based on the familiar paintings of Van Gogh.

Not only sunflower paintings but also landscapes and portraits of Van Gogh himself, along with his clever use of color and skillful brushwork, give rise to visual results that continuously appear as if all the components within the picture are in perpetual motion. A clear example is the mass of clouds in the night sky, accompanied by a cluster of stars in the painting “The Starry Night (1889),” which is known as one of Van Gogh’s most famous works.

For Niratchaporn, who specializes in kinetic art, movement is the core of her creative process. Coupled with her recent interest in painting, she decided to rely on the path of Appropriation art to craft mixed-media works that combine painting, sculpture, and mechanics to revive works of art from the past to contemporary art, which is exciting and emotionally impactful.

Opening reception: 18 September 2023, 18.00 h at MATDOT Art Center