This illustrator is capturing Thailand’s darkest days in wry, surreal artwork
Be uninspired.
3 years ago
Freelance animator Saratta Cheungsatiansup, 29, is going through a rough patch, like many of us are right now, as Thailand rips itself apart at the seams. But unlike many of us, he has turned his volatile emotions into fuel to create snappy, surreal artwork that serves as a visual diary of our current health, political, and economic crises. His Uninspired by Current Events page is making a serious splash on the country’s online landscape. We talked to him about his art, his “un”inspiration, and why, despite what you may think, it isn’t all about politics.
Tell us about your page. Why did you start it?
Before I started this page, I only published my artwork in my personal account on Facebook. After doing this for about a week, one of my friends suggested that I should start a page to expand my audience. I came up with this name because I wanted to play on the double meaning of the page. First is the literal meaning to show how uninspiring the current events are. Second is to serve as a disclaimer that my page has nothing to do with the current events. We never address any issues specifically, and people can interpret the artwork however they deem fit.
You said that you briefly deactivated your account after feeling overwhelmed by Thailand’s political news. By making art based on this news, doesn’t that make it worse?
The results are rather opposite. Far from making me feel more depressed, doing this is more like therapy to me. I used to feel overwhelmed by the news, and I couldn’t find a way to handle all my pent-up emotions. Turning them into art not only gives meaning to the work—it also helps me let go of those negative feelings. It’s a process of healing.
Tell us about the creative process behind your surreal artwork.
Mostly the news comes to me. Every time I wake up, I just check the topics that people on Facebook are angry about, and you’ll see that there’s no end to this news at all. I never intended to make my page all about politics, though. It can be anything. I just want to find unique ways to narrate current events.
For example, if you want to depict bribery, you might come up with an image of people handing things beneath a table. So I’ve tried to come up with different images, like the Trojan horse, to represent a sense of smuggling or trickery.
Does the message ever fail to get across to your audience?
Of course, some of the messages I intended to relay to the audience might not be clear. This happens when I’m too ambitious and try to include a bunch of ideas in one picture. When you have more than one key message in your artwork, the audience will find it hard to grasp its meaning.
In your opinion, what was the most “uninspiring” event Thailand has endured over the past year?
It’s hard to tell. With this authoritarian regime, anything can be uninspiring. I would say it’s the system that is the most uninspiring.
Do you think you can make an impact through your work?
I don’t make my illustrations with expectations on creating an impact. If my work can at least contribute to the meaningful conversation for everyone, I would like to be a part of that.
With most of your work requiring a lot of interpretation, is it safe to say this is your way to protect yourself from lawsuits?
I think it’s just an extra benefit. The reasons I created this Facebook page aren’t solely political. If that was the case, then I would include parliament figures in my art.
I really want to make my work look stunning. Even if it highlights the political issue of the day, the topic represented in the picture should be relevant no matter how much time has passed. It should represent something bigger than just the event itself. People who don’t follow Thai politics should be able to get the message. I want my pictures to be aesthetically pleasing more than just scolding criticism.
Compared to other political pages in Thailand, yours seems to be off the radar of pro-establishment types. Why is that?
I’ve only got one comment [from a pro-regime figure] since I opened the page. This might be because I don’t make explicit statements in my work. People might get the secret messages when they share my work. They might develop completely different interpretations of my artwork than what I have for it. But those who live in different worlds might not understand what I’m trying to express. It’s like an encryption that can only be unlocked by those who follow the same things.
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