Description
The assemblage is two rice gunny sacks rested on two separate stools.
The rice sack on the right has a horn attached to it, mimicking the horn of a buffalo. The other rice sack on the left has a long swirly structure made up of straw, attached to the top left hand corner of the rice sack, to mimic the tail of a buffalo.
The two stools are used to represent the legs of the buffalo.
Style
Montien Boonma is best known for his sculptures and installations, which combine traditional and organic substances (such as herbs and spices, wax, gold leaf and lotus petals) with cement, steel and other industrial materials.
His works mainly try to portray traditional culture and lifestyle of the farmers by using objects/livestock found on the farm.
Principles of Design and Elements of Arts
The main reason why Motien Booma chose the materials is due to their color.
All are all of the same color group, an organic brown.
This makes the sculpture seem more whole and is seen as a whole body and not as separate parts. Moreover, Booma positions the horn and the swirled tail in a manner that creates a circular and flow in the sculpture, leading the viewers' gaze through the entire sculpture.
Symbolism
- The sacks of rice symbolizes the farm produce, the fruits of labor of the people that have to toil day and night.
- The horns I believe represent the farm animals that are being put to work, particularly the buffaloes.
- This is because buffaloes are closely related to the harvesting of rice.
- The straw on the other hand, is another material commonly found in a farm, which i feel again highlights the essence of farm life.
- The color of the assemblage is generally brown, symbolizing the tradition of the farmers.
- The stools however, juxtaposes with the other materials. It looks like a common stool, probably seen almost everywhere, yet it is almost a luxury as it symbolizes rest, which contrasts greatly with the other materials-that are linked to hard work and labor-which make up the artwork.
Artist background
- The artist Montien Boonma was born 1953, Bangkok, Thailand
- Died August 17 2000 Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok
- Montien Boonma is one of the most celebrated artists whose conceptual installations have paved a new way for Thai contemporary art
- Works produced by Montien always reflect Thai life which has undergone rapid change. His use of local materials and motifs clearly evokes traditional culture and religion
- His mode of expression depends upon Thai traditional culture and yet it is also highly imaginative
- Montien Boonma is one of a very few Thai artists who has gained international recognition
- His important works include the exhibitions "Story from the Farm" (1989), "Thai-iahT" (1990), Pagodas series (1991), Alms series (1992), Lotus Sound (1993), The Room series (1994), and Temple of Mind or Sala of Mind (1995).
- In Montien's recent conceptual installations are examples of his attempt to express Thai space. They are concentration of the artist's experience of his spiritual world as well as his cultural and natural environment. Moreover, The Room series, The Mark of Mind (1995) and Sala of Mind have opened up new ways of seeing. The viewers are invited to become a part of his work. In the series mentioned the constructions are meant to be the site of mental activity and practice of calming the mind through meditation. The works have contradictory sensibility, close-open, private-public, opaque-perforated and oppressive-tanquil. To the Thai viewers, Montien's works are highly spiritual and intellectual.
- Montien truly believes that an artist must understand his own place in relation to religious, cultural, social and economic conditions and surrounding. They are the basic elements forming his methodology and aesthetics for creating works of art.
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Thanks Sir. :)
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