Whitestone Gallery Taipei is currently presenting "Alternate Reality: Southeast Asian Exhibition" a group show that explores diverse perceptions of reality through the works of artists from Southeast Asia.

Imhathai Suwatthanasilp’s exhibition explores the intersection of nature, memory, and identity through innovative use of human hair and natural materials, reflecting cultural heritage and personal stories.

Whitestone Gallery Taipei｜Imhathai Suwatthanasilp “Tiny Stupa” 2024, 26.0 × 36.5 × 8.0cm, Mixed media (hair and stones)

- Could you share with us the ideas behind the works you are presenting at Whitestone Gallery Taipei this time

Imhathai: The artworks in this exhibition are divided into two parts.

First, "Tiny Stupa" is a sculpture made from human hair and stones collected around my studio. I began by gathering hair from donors, tying the strands together into long threads, and then winding them onto a yarn spindle. The hair was then crocheted to wrap around a stone, with the crocheting continuing to form the top point of the sculpture.

Second, mixed technique drawing on canvas involves using hair to create linear marks on the canvas, similar to a monoprint process. I then applied black paint and drew over it with graphite and charcoal pencils. Different images began to form and become more defined, as the abstract linear marks evolved into a portrait of a woman.

Whitestone Gallery Taipei

- Your works resemble mountain and river ink paintings. Were you intending to express the relationship between nature and human beings through this visual style

Imhathai: Thank you for being the first person to ask about the characteristics of Chinese brush painting in my drawings.

The resemblance to Chinese brush painting in my work first appeared unintentionally. However, after this discovery, it led me to reflect on the significance of traditional Chinese painting.

Chinese brush painting is an art form that deeply reflects Chinese culture and philosophy. It emphasizes the use of lines, colors, and negative space to convey emotions, feelings, and the grandeur of nature, as well as the relationship between humanity and nature.

I am particularly interested in the ""negative space"" (or ""void"") in Chinese brush painting, especially in landscapes. I was excited to find that Thai and Chinese painting share many commonalities. The most important one is that both often compose landscapes with intentional negative space. This ""void"" isn't an absence of content; it can represent the sky, a river, or the ground. The deliberate use of space in the painting must be precise, meaningful, and philosophical.

For me, this "negative space" can symbolize imperfection, or certain memories (both missing and complementary). It gives the forms freedom, allowing the images and marks to flow into the imagination. Therefore, the ""void"" is just as important as the forms that appear. In this series, the forms resemble portraits of a woman, likening nature to a mother, a giver of life.

I am Thai of Chinese descent, and in my childhood memories, my home was often decorated with souvenirs and paintings from China. This background may have contributed to my interest in Chinese brush painting.

Whitestone Gallery Taipei

- What do you hope the audience will perceive or feel when viewing your work presented this exhibition

Imhathai: This series of drawings originated from my fascination with the beauty, fragility, and life cycle of weeds. Over the past several years since I moved to the countryside, I have been observing the wild flowers that grow naturally. Each species changes with the seasons. In the mornings, I enjoy walking, taking photos, and arranging these flowers in a vase. This practice gives value to things that are often neglected and overlooked.

For me, weeds are amazing because of their incredibly resilient life cycle. They can survive in harsh environments and have to fight against many chemicals in agricultural areas. If we just let the land follow its natural cycle, in just one month, many different species of weeds will appear on their own. However, from a farmer’s perspective, these weeds are seen as invaders that must be eliminated. More than half of the weeds found around my studio were plants that were once useful. In the past, some were used as medicinal herbs or ingredients in local cuisine, but they are increasingly being forgotten due to a capitalist system that focuses on monoculture farming.

Whitestone Gallery Taipei｜Imhathai Suwatthanasilp “Blowing in the Wind No.2” 2024, 45.0 × 60.0cm, Mixed technique, human hair, acrylic and graphite on linen

- How do you see the role of human hair in connecting your works to themes of memory and identity

Imhathai: My memory of hair as a material began in my childhood. I loved watching my grandmother, who was Thai Yong, meticulously comb and pin up her hair. As far as I can remember, she never cut her hair; it reached her waist until the very end of her life.

Later, in 2003, my father—a Thai man of Chinese descent who also had waist-length hair—cut his hair to give to his four daughters. That year, I started collecting my own fallen hair, and a few years later, I began using it as an art material. My father's hair became a symbol of family memory, love, and connection, which was the central theme of my art for the first five years.

Over time, hair from other people began to inspire me with the interesting stories of its owners. This included hair donated for wigs for cancer patients, fallen hair from patients undergoing chemotherapy, hair from Thai people (Chinese-Thai, Buddhist-Thai, Muslim-Thai) in the three southern border provinces, and hair from sex workers.

Hair is a testament to human existence tied to time. It has a connection to humanity in various cultures. As a person of Thai, Chinese, and Yong descent, I know that in Yong beliefs, pinned-up hair reflects a woman's beauty and is a distinct identity of Yong women. When hair falls from the body, it becomes a mystery. Its origin cannot be identified by sight alone. This enigma is what fascinates me about this biomaterial. Many times, the hair from these diverse individuals has also made me reflect on my own life.

Suwatthanasilp’s work invites viewers to reflect on resilience, memory, and the unseen connections between humanity and nature. Her unique use of hair and natural elements highlights overlooked beauty in everyday life.

Chen Sai Hua Kuan's multisensory art experience forms an intriguing dialogue with the other artists participating in this exhibition. Imhathai Suwatthanasilp explores gender and existentialism through human hair, Le Quy Tong creates works themed around collective memory from social media images, Nurrachmat Widyasena questions the boundary between reality and fantasy through his fictional tech company, and Maharani Mancanagara depicts her grandfather's political experiences in charcoal drawings. Each artist presents their own "alternate reality" through unique approaches.

Imhathai Suwatthanasilp’s work invites viewers to reflect on resilience, memory, and the unseen connections between humanity and nature. Chen Sai Hua Kuan offers an art experience woven from sound and elements of everyday life, Le Quy Tong creates works themed around collective memory from social media images, Nurrachmat Widyasena demonstrates an artistic approach in Indonesia's space development, and Maharani Mancanagara depicts her grandfather's political experiences in charcoal drawings. Each artist presents their own "alternate reality" through unique approaches.

Alternate Reality: Southeast Asian Exhibition