to examine each ot her wirh the naked eye. The cask isdifficult but cannot be a voided. A format char provides a
one-to-one correspondence is optimal , for it creates morefavorable circumstances for reducing problems to rheir
essence.

one wonders how thorough the investigation was.
Although I am looking at the situation through Japaneseeyes, I think char in the near future opportunities will
increasingl y arise for Sourheasr Asian artists to participate ininternational exhibitions. Indeed , I chink char signs of charare already emerging. To cite one example, the Thai artist
Monrien Boonma was included in a Kunsrverein show inFrankfurt, Germany. He was also asked to participate in theartist-in-residence program called Amazonas, which was heldin the Amazon River valley in Brazil. 1 Furthermore, Australia's cultural policies have undergone a remarkable change
in recent years, by shifting the focus completely to Asia,
including Japan .2 Whatever their contents may be, such
trends will clearly increase awareness of Asia, especially
Sourheast Asia.
The present exhibition is small in scope, yer it offers
perspectives that are difficult to gain from large exhibitions.
The format of the show by no means represents anything
new ; rather, it is completely ordinary. To put it simply, it isa group exhibition covering a few artists from two countries.
Awareness of national borders is readily apparent from theride of the exhibition. While both nations have been influenced by Western modernism, the historical process regarding char influence has differed. As ties between the twocountries deepen, this issue may become irrelevant. Ar
present, however, it is better to bear it in mind, inasmuch as
no problems can be resolved if the derails of the process arelost and only the oriental divergences from Western modernism are scrutinized.
Despite its awareness of national borders, the show,
however , avoids a format built around interaction inside
Japan. In the past, interaction between J~pan and Asia has
always rested upon the premise, of providing an introduction.
In other words, it constitutes showing the "Other" within one's
own borders; all relationships generated thereby are ultimately controlled by indigenous relationships, no matter what the
Other is. Cultural interaction is apt to magnify differences
rather than reducing them, because it rests upon asystem in which the Other is always converted into the"Self." Introductions are very useful, bur unless one constantly rakes into consideration the opposite aspects that they
incorporate, they encourage self-complacency on the sameorder as the Pan-Europeanism char Western modernism haslong attempted to achieve. One muse bear in mind the fact
char the non-European exhibition which I mentioned above
is readily converted inro a Pan-European meaning .
Accordingly, I will cry to rake the plan for the present
exhibition, which can be perceived as a conversion of the
Other into the Self, and turn it back into the equation "theSelf as the Other (Thailand)". It could be argued that this isa slighrly watered-down version of self-complacency, sinceboth sides perpetually compare the Other, converted into theSelf, in various contexts , and examine the differences. Bur
the perspective will become much more complex: Moreover ,an environment will unquestionabl y be created that pushes
aside the mirror of Western modernism , which has clouded
the vision of the Japanese and Thais , and forces both sides

II. A Comparison of Contemporary Japanese and Thai Art
Although the artists and works, needless to say, are coherent•
ly organized in the present exhibition , no spacial barriers
have been created by placing the works of the Japanese andThai artists in separate rooms.
The difference s generated by the artists and their works
can be percei ved, unassisted , by the viewer. However , it isunclear whether the artists and works will be linked in theviewe r's mind by similar impressions. While recognizing charpreconceptions may be unnecessary , I would like to comment briefly on the historical process in both countries.
H owever enthusiastically acclaimed, the Other will always
remain alien if it is interpreted by means of indigenous
practices.
First of all, there was a difference in timing regardin gwhen W esrern modernism was introduced in Ja pan and Thailand. By the 1920s Japan began to come under the influence of modernism , with almost no rime lag . Naturally,
Ja pan had long been influenced by it before then , bur a rime
lag had existed between the genesis and reception of thelatest Western mo vements . Alth ough Western -style arr education began in Thailand in 1933 under the Italian Corrado
Feroci (known in Thailand as Silpa Bhirasri ), the creation ofmodern arr by Thai artists had to await the end of WorldWar II. The period from 1949, when the first National
Exhibition of Art was launched in Thailand, to 1962 , when
Bhirasri died, is almost universall y regarded as the "influential years," in reco gnition of Bhirasri 's impact. This represents
the first period of postwar modern arr in Thailand . Regarding ties with Western schools, impressionism and cubism
were central; in terms of motifs, daily life in Thailand waschosen. Bur with a slight delay , pop arr, op arr, hard-edge
painting , and minimalism were imported on each other 'sheels in the 1960 s. These postwar movements , especiall y theones formed prim arily in the United States, did nor leave aclear trace in Th ailand as they did in Japan , bur Thai arr
critics note their arrival in Thailand.
Thus, arr movements, ranging from schools at the turn of
the twentieth century to avant garde trends , chiefly those in
the United States, which rapidly surfaced in the postwar
period, entered Thailand in an extremely shore period ofrime. The import ation of such a complex array of arr styles
from the dawn to the waning of modernism boggles theimagination.
In addition to schools spanning the period from the scareof modernism to its decline , arr char served as a motive force
for posrmodernism began to emerge in the late 1960s . The
work of Thawan Duchanee, as described by the arr critic
Apinan Poshyananda, is a case in point . The artists who
made their debur after Bhirasri's death went direcrly ro
Europe and America to study; Thawan Duchanee was one of8them . His work abounds with images and energy chat clearly
distort the orthodox development of modernism and formalism.
In this way, modernism and poscmodernism both arrived
in Thailand in a brief period of time. One of the effects ofthese movements was that the "old " and "new" were divorced from a temporal framework and became spatial. In otherwords, a spacial quality was achieved in which the old andnew could freely be chosen and discarded with the samevalue. For instance, surrealism, which also had an influenceon Thawan, almost completely disappeared from Japan in
the sixties. After it reached Japan in the lace 1920s, it spreadso widely that it was virtually synonymous with the avant
garde, even after the war. This was still true in the 1950s.
More precisely speaking, the mid-1950s and thereafter werealready entering the age of informel painting and abstract
expressionism as well as neo-dadaism and pop art. The
situation has changed in the wake of postmodernist thinking,but in Japan, at lease, schools that are no longer in vogue areconsidered passe. The modernist / avant garde influence, which
can be likened to a disease, undisputably fettered Ja pan fora long time.
In short, Ja pan has repeatedly experienced the influx ofWestern art trends as a linear / temporal process, whereas
Thailand has been forced co experience W escern trends spatially on the same plane. Actually, it may be a tradition of
the Thai people rather than something that they were forced
to do. Nor was Japan originally linear or temporal; it becamechat wa y after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, whenW escern modernism became a model. In short, in the premodern period , Japan and Thailand stood on similar ground .
The appearance of Buddhist motifs and the spirit of
Buddhism in avant garde Thai art ro an extent chat, from aJapanese perspective , seems audacious seems from artists'
freedom ro choose elements on a spacial level. At times, thetreatment of Buddhism as allegory even represents an avant
garde seance. In Japan the subject is, of course, taboo. Thereis no rule prohibiting it. Bue even if it were allowed under
the rules governing motifs in traditional Japanese arc, itwould transgress what are commonly considered contemporary motifs . This tacit segregation dates back to the Meiji
era.
Although the question of the influen ce of Western modernism lacks precision when summarized briefly, as I havedone above , I would like to rum now ro another subject:
namely , differences in social consciousness in Thailand andJapan. I was astounded by a newspaper article about the
bloodbath that occurred in Thailand lase year when the Thai
army randomly shot civilians during the political uprising in
Bangkok. 3 What shocked me more than the bloodshed andactions of the army was the attitude manifested by an artist.
I was even more amazed ro discover that the artist was
Prasong Luemuang . At a solo exhibition at the National
Gallery in Bangkok, he showed a huge 5-meter-wide andnearly 2-meter-high mural protesting the actions of the army.
Prasong is an artist residing in Lumphun near Chiang Mai
who had struck me as a gentle person with the philosophic

outlook of a hermit living in the mountains. I recall thatimages of birds, fish and other creatures representing neocraditional and folkloric motifs had overflowed his atelier,which was elevated off the ground. According to thenewspaper article, Prasong's mural depicted a multitude ofimages of military power, from army boots, rifles, swords,
and bows and arrows co axes. It also depicted the gamut ofhuman desires, from exhibitionism ro money and sex. These
were represented by strange creatures with human faces andthe bodies of beasts whose genitalia were exposed. My
image of Prasong was completely shaken.
This is what it was like in Japan in the 1950s, a decadeclosely linked with social consciousness and the avant garde
and surrealist movements. There are no manifestations of thisin Japan today. Nor, of course, would the kind of representation employed by Prasong be openly expressed. Although
direct political action, as well as artistic expression, existed
in Japan, it was weeded out by around 1970 .
One of the artists in the present show-Supachai
Satsara- also displays a strong social consciousness. He expresses adesire co participate actively in society through art. If appliedro the above-mentioned linear / temporal structure characteristic of Japan, this stance would be considered "old," butinsofar as there is an historical inevitability to the story chathe relates, then it is always new. Rather, his arc could evenbe said to express the fecundity found in the existence of
epic themes, whereas in Japanese art, even themes themselves appear to be in the process of disappearing.
Supachai 's works also directly express his stance regarding
society and the environment . The same is true of other
Soucheasc Asian artists whose works embrace this kind of
theme. Japanese art has begun to lose this frankness. Looking
at this phenomenon in a favorable light, one could ascribe
the reason, for example, to the fact that Japan is entering an
age in which frank artistic representation does not necessarilytranslate into a strong message about society. Ja pan also
reflects the fact that parody, humor, and the act of depicting
relationships to society as a game have a stronger impact asarc. The modern West, which heralded this trend, frequently
experimented with this approach as modernism progressed.
Artistic attitudes invariably are intimately linked to thesocial environment in which the art exists. Jimmie Durham,
whose work was shown at last year's Documenta, produces
installations using natural materials such as branches andearth chat he has gathered near by. Many viewers consider
him an "ecologist," in other words, an artist who is gentle orkind to nature. But, far from entertaining any such idea, he
undermines that viewpoint, by using materials such as oilprocessed products that are harmful ro the environment. This
represents a game . Furthermore, he aims his shafts at the charges
of individuals whose criticism of environmental destruction
overlooks their own fundamental position. In that sense, Asia
takes a basic, frontal stance regarding specific themes, aposition that possesses far greater impact at present .
The third point of comparison concerns the similarities
and differences in the major turning points experienced by
Japan and Thailand in the past. After returning home from9

the Netherlands, Thawan Duchanee held a solo exhibition at
the Student Christian Center in Bangkok in 1968. Hispaintings were destroyed in 1971 by a crowd of angry students. This was what Apinan Poshyananda referred ro as the"picture slashing incident." This incident invites various
thoughts . One is that it suggests a feud with academism,
which was taking shape in Thailand under the influence ofWestern modernism. It also appears to reflect discord causedby the contents of Thawan 's works, which seemed to involvea process of deconstruction, while regarding Buddhist spirirual influences affirmatively. The pattern that emerges fromthis incident is that of an attack on artistic representati on inwhich the obstacles that one tries to overcome appear ro be
doing the overcoming . If anything, Japan represents a system
in which the overtaking elements criticize what is bein govertaken. Chronologically speaking , the situation in Ja pan
is clearer: an effort has been made to overtake the old with
the new. The "retro" phenomenon that occurred underpostmodernism in the 1980s represents a movement thatsparked a change in this attitude.
In addition, Thai artists have had drastic personal experiences regarding the conflict between the old and new. Thistendency lasted in Ja pan from the formative years of modern
art to World War II, bur the postwar period witnessed theformation of art as a group endeavor. The various schools all
possessed a central character. However , the full force of
criticism was seldom levelled against individuals; instead, agroup effort was made to overcome the old. The phenomenon of art as a group activity also lasted until the 1970s , butdoes not generally hold true today. In other words, thecritical mass of the group has been necessary until now . The
same can be said of the political system in the postwar
period.
In any event, it is noteworthy that a drastic change
occurred at a very similar point in both countries. In Japan ,the mono-ha school 4 around 1970, and fringe movements
connected with it, along with the decade of the seventies ingeneral, marked a turning point. In Thailand , the conflict
between different types of expression represented by modernism and what could be called a harbinger of postmodernism constituted a radical change. However, the fact that , inboth countries, the turning point was embedded in the
global postwar system forces one to conclude that its occurrence in the same period in both countries was inevitable .

nate cross-cultural artistic diffe ren ces in the same generatio n.
In the future, this sort of exhi bitio n will probabl y increase.
However, th e deliberate exclusion of this perspecti ve fromthe present exhibition derives from a distaste for an orienta tion th at wou ld end up revealing a linear and chrono logical
gap. A problemat ic structure that departs from the main
theme of the interaction cou ld even conceivably emerge.
Bur , when thinkin g about th e future of Japanese art, a usefulappro ach is to cast contem porary art in a reverse light byplacing it in the field of Thai art , in which even new myths
are spat ialized and presented as an alternative, using archaic
and early modem myths as a vehicle.
Supachai Satsara's mode of representation delivers acounte rpunch against contemporary Thailand , which isexperiencing a high rate of economic growth. The contents
and technique behind his work are straightforward. The yunleash shafts of criticism at the rapid , ove rwhelming floodof materialism , for examp le, throu gh a ga rgantuan band
made of a vast numbe r of automobile license plates andthrou gh tire strips. All of the materials used by Supachai
were produced and discarded by industrial society. He uses
them as a medium of expression as well as a text or theme.
The license plates are nearly arranged in rows or piles. A
throng of human beings, like specters or ghosts, are depictedon the license plates. Which represents the true form or essence?
Or , perhaps , if th e license plates signify countless death s
created by industri al society, then the manner in which they
are arranged , repr esenting order in that society, becomes a
metaphor for industrial societ y's graveyard. Although a graveyard inherentl y stands at the point of return to the soil, thegraveya rd of indu strial society is an orderl y thin g, like a coinlocker , which is placed on the gro und. Supachai's mode ofexpression may be straightfor wa rd, but it contains the kindof perspecti ve th at invites such associations.
Sansern Milindasuta's mode of representation places more
importance on inner images . That does not me an to say that
his work manifests no out ward social awareness ; if it doe s
exist , however, it resides within him as something that has
mat ured of its own acco rd over time. If somethin g is called
int o question , it is the conflict between modernism andformalism. Sansem paints on rectangular canvases while
continuing to depict figurative and abstract images using
uncon vention al mater ials such as wire netting and slate.
What this stance revea ls is nothing other than an effort toprobl em atize and exami ne form as well as images. Thisapproach reflects his sojourns in Great Britain and German y;for him, it is inevitable.
In recent works, the rec tangular shape of the canvas has
been replaced by irreg ular forms that slip from the wall onto
the floor , which is cove red with earth , producin g "living
painting s." Although this interpretation can not be considered particul arly outst anding from the point of view of
examining paintin g as an art form, it makes a unique interpreration . Is the artist trying to achieve a parod y of painting
by means of painting, includin g formalism and postformalism, which follows the same course ? Yet Sansem is in
earnest, and there is no mistaking the fact that he is seriously

III. Intersecting Contemporary Japanese and Thai Art
The present exhibition covers two Thai and two Japaneseartists. As I noted above , it places no particular barriers
between them. The Thai artists are still young, and considerable artistic growth is expected from them in the future . The
Japanese artists are older ; their careers boast active participation both at home and abroad , including many international
exhibitions . Despite the disparity in age and experience , thefour artists' mode of artistic expression is conduci ve tointeraction. It was one of the reasons for choosing theseparticular artists.
Another conceivable approach might have been ro illumi-

IO

wrestling with this problem .
What makes me sense the richness of Sansern's artistic
sensibility is the fact th at, no matter how insignificant they
may be, the objects he depicts convey a cosmic feeling. One
may wonder what cosmology can be found in nets andbroken rocks , yet he discovers therein the wondrous shapes
and textures of substances and objects. And he presents themas something that is not actually possible , but has existed inpeople 's memories and might potentiall y exist. This way oflooking at things is distinctive.
Senzaki Chieo is well known for his installations of trees
and branches, but this time he places plants in a case on aforklift . The plants placed on the forklift , which is extended
as far as it will go, seem very unstead y. They radiate a senseof danger that the y might fall to the ground at any moment.
If the plants were presented straightforwar dly, their relationship with the forklift would be direct and unsatisfactory. The
reason is that the installation would turn into a simple
formula of plants (nature) and forklift (industry / civilization).
Realizin g that possibility, Senzaki has erected two or threeguards around the plants (nature). After performing administrative acts , namely, placing them in pots and arranging
them in a case, he has placed them in the "palm" of aforklift. In a sense, the installation is the ultimate expressionof the inabilit y of plants (nature) to be rescued as a result of
human intervention. This suggests a postmodern gameinvolving the theme of environmental destruction .
In recent years, Tsuchiya Kimio has shifted from installations dealin g with the dismantlement and reco nstruction ofhouses to works using the ashes of houses that he has burned
until nothing but a fine powder is left. Rep eat ing the processof incineration turns a house (a material objec t) into clean ,white ashes, creating an existence that seems to transcendeven the aspect of a material phenomenon . This suggests thenegati on of material objects, or the ultima te state or natureof an objec t that possesses a desire for nega tion . In thatsense, the ashes repres ent the border between existence andnon-existen ce. Language (memory) has been extracted; it is
all chat lies within the ashes.
Along with this work, Tsuchiya will create an installationin Thailand . It consists of filling the exhibition space with
the images of animals and plants which are extinct or on theverge of exti nction and projecting th eir names from amachine suspended from th e ceiling.
Th rough art as a mode of expression , Tsuchi ya and theother artists in the present exhibition possess a perspectiv eand subject matter that are strongly connected in somefashion with present-d ay society. Although Sansern's mode ofexpression is nor directly connec ted to the environ ment andindustrial society , insofar as he directs his ecolog ical gaze at
modernist forms his work fully satisfies the aims of th epresent exhibitio n. Above all, modern ism and postmodernism crea te an environment that tran scends modes of repr esentation . The exhibitio n should provide a venue for investigatin g through che act of representing th e differences andthe com mon ground shared by che artists. This is an important , and long overdue, issue today.

Notes

1. Amazonas refers to the artist-in.residence program called Arre Amazonas; Int ernational Fine Arts Workshop in Brazil, which was organize d by the Goe the Institut e. The
exhibitio n was held from February 1-27, 1992. Twent y-nin e artists from around theworld part icipated in the program , which was condu cted in the following cities in the
Amazon River valley: Beltm, Manaus, and Porro Velho. Monr ien showed works thathave nor been seen in Japan. The plans of his work call for a latex image of a breast
100cm in diameter and 40cm in height. It is displayed with the nipple upside down ona hammo ck. The breast serves as a metap hor for nature ; it signifies the source of all life.
Accordingly, in Mo ntien's concept, the breast, being placed upside down on thehammock , becomes a metaphor for ex istence (breast =life::nacure) that is in danger,
since it might fall. In other words, the work is an eco logica l expression of the crisis
facing nature. As a net that signifies existence from life to death, the hammoc k, a
common object in Ind ian life, reinforces that meaning. In a sense, the hamm ock, as rhe
circulation of life, is a powe rful existe nce supporting the breast. But, in Momien's
renderin g, it becomes the image of an ex istence chat is exposed ro dange r.
At the Amazo nas exh ibition, Monr ien also exhi bited a work called 'T he Reincarnation ,'which featured an enormous hollowed-out gum tree, signifying the womb, of apregnant woman, and an installation called 'Cut-Shut Off,' in which he employed avariety of materials.
For furcher reference, see: The Nation, June 16, 1992. Bangkok Post, May 28, 1992.
2. Exhibitions actively introduc ing contemporar y Japanese arc have been held inAustralia. The 1st Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contempo rary Arc was held in Brisbane from
September 18 to December,, 1993. Altogether 76 artists from 13 nations took partin the exhibition. In addition to the Australian hosts, rhe participants included the fiveof six member scares belong ing ro the Association of Southeast Asian Nat ions {ASEAN)(ex cludin g Brunei) as well as Vietnam; Japan , China, Hong Kong and South Korea ,from East Asia; New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
3. Ono Junji , 'The Bloodbath in Bangk ok: A Shocking Brush," Yomiuri Shimbun
newspape r, evening ed ., November 11, 1992, p.6. The tide of Prasong's mural was'Animal Society.' Tha wan Duchanee has frequentl y employed the technique of
expressing conte mporary events allegorica lly using Buddhist lore. This can be seen in
the 1989 series titled 'The Barde of Mara.'
4. The mono-haschool is a major postwar Japanese movement char is ment ioned intandem with the gutai-ha school, named afte r the Gutai Art Association. It denotes atren d among artists and works that emerged around 1970. At first, it was associatedwirh happenings and events, followed by a phase of compar ing and identifying elementsof the mode of expression used by arte poverain Italy and the support1/Jurfaces movementin France, which developed in che 1960s. Lacer c~ere was a tendency to look at it interms of unique Japanese represenration. The theoretical foundations were provided by
Lee U-fan, who crystallized the ride of criticism against modernism, by cha racter izing
modern Western arc as "the history of the manipulation of images." Major artists
associated with the mono-haschool include Koshimizu Susumu, Sekine Nobuo, Suga
Kishio, Narita Katsuhiko , and Yoshida Katsuro. T he artists ex hibited mate rials andobjects such as wood, iron, glass, corron, paraffin, clay, and paper, with little effort toairer them to create illusionary representat ion. The mono-haschoo l is related to theinstallation movemenr, which arose lacer. For an extended rrearmenr of rhe subject, seeTani Arata, Kaiten 111m hy61h6-gendai hij1J1J11/ dat111posuromodanno 1hikaku (Gen dai
Kikakushicsu, 1992), a smdy of Japanese art since rhe 1970s.
Rega rding the history of conte mpora ry Thai art, I have co nsulted the works of Apinan
Poshyananda and Anuvic Chare rnsupkul.

IIt.:1;::a,;e,t.:1:i'¥A!l!l,i'Fi!<W/ll!I.J:,- 5'C::>t,rc:I.J:
i'Fi!<O:J7'.
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Beyond the Border

Sansern Milindasuta

Supachai Satsara

Senzaki Chieo

Tsuchiya Kimio

The nore on each artist is writte n by Tani Arata,
and the data in this cata logue was mostly based upon material received
from the artists themselves and edited by Furuichi Yasuko.

r@llfi
No.7:P?'.JJl,,Ill!,:/Ii± , ,t::P?')Jl,, !Jl,'lo±,;t:/H~=5'-'.'.J-r-/C/ •Jle-::.,,'J•y~,:,IH,=5'- ?-r- J,::.,,· ,1(- Y'J•y~,:,Gardiner No. 7
acrylic, wax, clay, woodphoto: Thaweepan Phoonwathu

Gardiner No.4
acrylic, wax, clay, woodphoto: Thaweepan Phoonwathu
170XIO0cm, 1993

180Xl30cm,

1993

r@llfi
No .4

Sansern M·J·
1 mdasuta

A1!m
No2

:rii±

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Gardiner N
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weepan Pb
134Xl4S
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cm, 1993

15

r-.J;F@O)~~~~J~~- ::i:(:1i:1:J'':>Nos.3,6,4,2)/idi,ffi!, fo±, 'fCffi,-:J5kr •Y-'J·'7 -7tfll:=5'-?1'-I\-Y•;f(--Y':J•yl--,;,"Ivory Whisper" series(from left: Nos. 3,6,4,2)
paper, wax , clay, wooden board, plastic caseNo.3:45X35,

photo: Thaweepan Phoonwachu
No.6: 55X30, No.4:45X30, No.2:45X30cm

16, 1992

Sansern Milindasu ta[JffJ:;IJ- X"The Door"series(:!i:1:h:,:from left )Jff(tl'):P?IJ!l,,i!ll:;t:,!!11, i'icThe Door (iron)acrylic, oil, wax, iron
124 xsocm, 1992
Jff(;;tc)
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The Dood wood)
acrylic , oil, wax, wood
93X79cm, 1992
Jff(rl'):P?')Jl, , ;!!J:;t:, lilt,rl'
The Door(iron)acrylic , oil, wax, iron
124X53cm, 1992

lH;:=5>- ".J-<- J~:,,-)1(- :,,?•yt--,:,
phoco: Thaweepan Ph oo nwachu

17

-ij-::,t;z-::,;-2IJ::,;5f::<,-j-Sansern Milindasuca
phoro:Nirikorn Kraivixien

Paintings that Live:Y•2 I) ::,t$f;z-j--O)f'Fi5lll;l:$'-1IJH\'.;~fiffi0)**~:19:~L,n\Sansern Milindasura's works reflect the future of contemporar y
Thai art . In other words, the development and deconstruction ofform in his work suggests the direction in which Thai art isheading,
The degree to which Sansern 's images are generated internall yis unusu al. A quiet, private imagination leisurel y proliferares intime and space exactly as though wea ving its own story. In
Sansern's hands, rhe form of paintings as srill-lifes is surrounded bya gentle net - "ecology"- char is ever changing, It is also a metaph or for "paintin gs char generate paintings. "At first Sansern produced rectangular works. Howe ver, he also
pa inted on untraditional materials and backgrounds such as slate
and wire netting. These were free-form paintings cum objects.
Moreover , th ey were expressed in endlessly recurring chains. Ir
wo uld be impossible co single chem our individuall y co derermine
where they begin . As images , howe ver, the anise has fashioned
chem into "a sampling of naturalist histor y" consisting of smallfascinatin g object s, 'Ivory Whisper ' ( 1992) is typical of objets rhac
rake the form of a relief
Bue we muse also direct our gaze at another type of experiment carried our by Sansern , This is found in three recent series
of works, 'The Door ' ( 1992), 'Gardine r' (1993 ), and 'VelverDrop ' (1993 ) that announce the dissolution of form. 'Gardiner ' isc'oB-Q.
a group of paintin gs char stand on rhe ground, namel y, rhe floor.
z:0)5'1:i<JHflifi>ltit!l (Plsl1::::rDm00ic'0-Q. z:ttc~t:::.i!H"FO)tJ:t.J'l::::1;1:± Oth er similar series include one in which the artist has spreadearth on the floor , creating the image of paintings growing our of~P1s~~~±~f::>~£tt-Qm00i~-1x-v~tt-Qt,O)'t,0~£~~•
the soil. Ind eed, the paintings seem co descend co earth and begin@i/;j:j;:it!J/;:~l'.)3'.I-.:,Z:~,l@.~llil~J:5c9-QO)f=..-tO)c~. J\:e/f~O)!lifflW
to live there, There are no more rectangular outlines. The series/;l:9c'/;:tJ:L'· { m} cL \5:J I)-::z'f'Fi5ll~l;l:~A, c', -ij-::,t;z- ::,tO).@j/;j:titled ' The Door ' marks steps taken by Sansern to ward the collapseof formalism , so co speak, using rectangles , irregular forms, and(Ji:e/1~}(~ /f~}H, Z:('f?:bf::>f.J'fJ:!limW} cL \5, L\p/;f/f~it±~O)ifflij/0)
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outlines. Ho w did such fertile interp retations as "painting
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growing in the earth, " "frescoes (forms) char slip down onto theL,~'5", "ffl/l O)J:5/;:lllJ11J1,t9-Q!liffl~", Z:O)J:5tJ:~;/J'tJ:M:¥R
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floor ," and "contours char breathe like skin" lodge in Sansern 's/;:L,c:1&:l;:'f?c'.-.:,f:::.O)f=.-351.J'.
mind ?
Th e dissolution of form conversel y embodies an endless reproJgM9-Q/f~itlt, t-0)-1.Jc'AA~NO)Jl!lffitt~l;J:f::>c;lj, mOOiO)P9fflUl;:t:,L,c:ductive
capacit y ; it generates cell divisions within the painting ,l\lll~?t~~s l~itilz:L,n ,-Q. il'&~mO)~ffiO)J:51::::c'0-Q.½t~~ttt:::.
like a culture of microbes. Almost no refined lines or cones can bets~1;1:1a:cfuc:t<e1:<.
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found . The image s are created like living forms char possess flesh
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m®icL ,5'Jl.~0)3p11§1::::li'5t:::.P9@"9f::>x$'7:>t to express th e artist 's inner being, Th ey may even serve as a metaphor for the inner aspect of paintings as a form of representation
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char abo unds with contradictio ns.
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Sansern does nor care for discord between the objects char are"'fO)'Jl<~c~5. ttLl;l:L \acf=.W.x.tf-Q§le,c:O)~L\c't,0-Q. t-0)~~
depicted . He wrestles with che invisible representation bene ath thesurface. This also represents a battle with his hidden self In charc'lt, lBi:O)f'Fi5lll::::W.f::>tL-Q/f~itjgMO)-iiO)f'F~i;J: , 'OO?tiY-JtJ:~il!i~J:
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sents a chance to consta ntly achieve a wholeness separate fromIt, -17:J.::;<.-:;3:YO)lf:n;1J~fflm9 -Q~c;/jc't.oB-QO)f=.
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attachment to th e pares. Stepping into the inner world of thepaintin g also constitutes an expe riment char eagerly looks forward
to the restorati ve power of the imagination .
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18