Solid Sound

Solo exhibition by Tawatchai Somkong

Once a word leaves your mouth, even the speediest horse cannot chase after it.”

Once uttered, a sound cannot be retrieved. Words will either impact the listener positively or negatively. When ushered by an authoritative figure, the role of a speech becomes even more important. Words can inspire and words can conjure hatred, of which the latter is the root of conflicts in society. These important figures in the portrait are superimposed with quotes they are known for. It is as though the sounds have taken on physical shapes and become a painting, but it’s the audience that will interpret and carry on a new conversation in a whole new voice.

Some famous people can say things that change and inspire humanity. I sometimes wonder whether they had come up with those words themselves or appropriated them from a book or someone else. However, when words are spoken at the right place and time, they are remembered and become part of the vernacular that challenge the comprehension of listeners. Some words can take decades for us to fully realise how monumentous and honorific they actually  are.

Exhibition period: 25 November 2021 – 9 January 2022