Thai photographer taking the stigma out of teen pregnancy

In his Teenage Pregnancy exhibition, emerging photographer Tanaphon “Gap” Ongarttrakul, 23, explores the issue of teenage pregnancy in Thailand. The intimate photos offer an emotional look into the daily lives of the young mothers and fathers as they take on the new role of being a parent. Here, BK talks to Tanaphon about the inspiration behind the project and how he wishes to use art as a tool to tackle this social problem. The exhibition runs through Oct 7 at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (Penthouse/F, Maneeya Centre, 508/5 Phloen Chit Rd.)

7 years ago

By Bonnie Sananvatananont
| Sep 13, 2016

What inspired you to start the Teenage Pregnancy project?

This is an ongoing project that started as part of my university course on documentary photography. I chose this project because it hits close to home—I am still a young adult and during my school years, I had several friends who suddenly got pregnant. I saw them leave school and take a 360-degree turn in their normal life. It made me want to shine a light on the issue.

What was the process of selecting the families and photographing them?

In total, I photographed three families. The first one was a slightly more well-off family and someone I knew personally through school. After that, I wanted to explore the situation from a different angle and searched for families in less fortunate circumstances. From asking around, I managed to find people and contact them about the project. I spent time photographing their daily lives with an intention to capture how it differs from that of other families.

What struck you the most while photographing these families?

The one that struck me the most was a very poor family from Pathum. The girl got pregnant at 17 with no money from her family to support her. Both teens had to give up their education and start work. The guy, who is even younger than I am now, was forced to work at a dangerous oil rig just to make ends meet. The two now have three kids and they live in very bad housing in Rayong. It really struck a chord in me to see the situation they are in.

How have the families reacted to seeing the work?

Two out of three families showed up to the exhibition’s opening event. They seemed very happy and touched that their stories were getting shared to hopefully help raise awareness about the issue.

What message do you hope to convey through this photography series?

In Thailand, there is a huge stigma around teenage pregnancy. These people are teenagers who simply made one mistake at one moment in their life, but it has left them to be judged as bad people forever. I’m sure no one wants to intentionally get pregnant before they are ready. In my opinion, they are not bad or stupid people—merely teenagers who couldn’t resist their hormones and had a slip in judgement. It’s pretty understandable to me and I sympathize with them a lot. Society needs to focus less on mistreating them and more on educating young teenagers about contraception and sex education in general.

In a country where teen pregnancy is high, what is the role of art in changing social problems?

I believe art can be a means to offering a different perspective to social issues than what is dared to be discussed verbally. Despite the fact that Thailand has the second highest rate in ASEAN for teenage pregnancy, it is hardly talked about. Perhaps offering a glimpse into the lives of these families, and opening up the chance for empathy, can help urge society to pay more attention to this issue.