Thai artist Kanya Charoensupkul’s symbols reflected a land of hope and riches a decade ago. They’re back, with darker vision of today’s Thailand, in her new show.

Kanya Charoensupkul has reincarnated symbols from her work dating back to 1992—the pigeon, the dove, durian and patongo (pastry turnovers)—for some fresh comments on today’s changing, chaotic society, in a show called ‘Kanya Dialoguing with Kanya’ at the OCAC Art Gallery in Bangkok.

She first used the pigeon in ‘White Pigeons’, exhibited as part of a group show called the ‘Bangkok Art Project’ in 1998. Over 200 white plaster-cast pigeons were installed on and around the base of the Giant Swing in Bangkok in reference to an order from local authorities that the birds be poisoned as pests.

The flock has been recreated in the new installation work ‘Thai Pigeons 2008—when will you ever be free from having to express your sorrow’. This time they stand on a base shaped like Sanam Luang—a huge park in Bangkok where public protests are usually held. Scattered around them are hundreds of mirrored tiles in the colours of the national flag.

In this work, Kanya plays with the homophones pirab (pigeon or dove)—a symbol of peace—and pilab (sorrow). The new white pigeons are the symbol of an ideal world where people, no longer starve or without hope, have equal rights.

“The social changes we see today are making things worse rather than better,” says the Silpakorn University art lecturer. “Rather than uniting, Thais are dividing into different groups and factions. It’s sad to see Thais attacking each other with flagpoles carrying the national flag. What’s wrong with this nation? Hopefully, the mirrored tiles will provoke people to see themselves as a reflection of the country.”

In late 2000, Kanya displayed eight pillows, each printed with the image of a patongo and the words ‘born to be a couple’. The idea was to lift the gloom of 1997’s economic crash with a reminder of romance. The year after, her painting of a ripe durian titled ‘King of Fruit’ was hung at Suvarnabhumi Airport as a welcoming image of a rich and prosperous nation.

This time round, the patongo has lost its romantic meaning and the durian its rich glow. In stark monoprints, these two symbols now reflect the economic crisis that’s spreading to every corner of the country.

“Patongo is a local, street-side business while durian—an export product—reflects the macro scale. I’m questioning whether patongo today is still nice and crispy and whether Thai durian exports are growing. Can we still call this blessed country a golden land? What’s the leader of this country doing?” (By KHETSIRIN PHOLDHAPALIT In Bangkok/ Daily Xpress)

The show continues until Sept 5. The OCAC art gallery is on the first floor of the TPI Tower on Narathiwasrajchanajkarin Road, Bangkok. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am-7pm. Visit www.OcacArtGallery.com.