Natee Utarit

Natee Utarit’s complex, multilayered paintings merge Surrealism with Western art historical genres in order to promote discourse on Thai politics and society. His love of metaphor and hidden symbols is evident in King (2011) in which Utarit mimics the conventions of Dutch Golden Age still life painting to comment on King Rama IV, a cultural reformer who embraced Western innovations. Symbolized by a golden statue of Phra Siam Devadhiraj, the guardian deity of Thailand, the king has his back turned on a cannon-like golf trolley, the artist’s subtle way of critiquing Western influences by referring to a sport that has been criticized for its elitism since it was introduced into the country. Utarit’s “Optimism is Ridiculous: The Altarpieces” series (2012–16) is particularly ambitious, taking the form of twelve Christian altar pieces filled with references ranging from Buddhism to contemporary art in order to comment on the perilous state of the world around us.