Ruangsak is fascinated by the rich folklore of weretiger stories that haunts our imagination of Southeast Asia. While associated with indigenous groups, the weretiger was often celebrated as both monster (it snatched unknowing victims) and hero (it resisted both colonialism and modernity).

In addressing Kampong Gelam where the orang laut suku gelam once inhabited, he produces two contrasting installations within and without Sifr’s shop. On the one hand, there are gelam trees planted inside weretiger masks made to look like shamanistic objects; on the other hand, an artificial wax tree replica is potted inside a weretiger that looks like a fetishised museum artefact.

Ruangsak’s contrast of the real and fake, inside and outside, is an invitation to consider our relationship with indigenous people and their erased histories.

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Ruangsak Anuwatwimon (b.1975, Thailand) reflects on the complex relationship between mankind and nature. Using found objects, Ruangsak explores diverse mediums that respond to the immediate environment to express his ideas and challenge the parameters of what constitutes an artwork. His projects interrogate the social, cultural, and moral foundations of human societies, often critiquing issues of environmental degradation

He has participated in exhibitions worldwide, including the Singapore Biennale (2019) and the Taipei Biennial (2018). In 2023, he joined the Mekong Fulcrum project and has been running activities as part of the ART WORMs collective, a group investigating the impact of infrastructural development on ecosystems in the Mekong region. He was part of OH! Open House’s inaugural Associate Artist Programme 2022/23 cycle (September 2022 to October 2023).

Artist: 
Ruangsak Anuwatwimon

Tandem Diaspora
Scented wax sculpture
40 x 20 x 110 cm

Walk Among Us
Gelam trees in carved wooden pots
40 x 40 x 50 cm, 45 x 45 x 76cm