the night laid a hundred eyes on my skin
Apichaya Wanthiang
13th July - 8th September 2024
13th July 2024
Artist talk: 17:00 - 18:00
Opening reception: 17:00 - 21:00
Our house was attacked at night, by costumed men on horses, carrying spears. My family ran to the back of the house to a nearby canal, and hid under a bridge. We all huddled together.
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On one occasion I was bitten by a tiny rattle snake. Every day in order to appease the spirits and to ask for healing, I would bring small food offerings to a wild betel plant, where a good spirit lives.
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On another occasion sneaking from behind adult shoulders, I saw the buffalo’s intestines spread out on a checkered piece of textile. An old man was reading my aunt’s fortune in them.
When I asked my grandmother about these separate yet solid recollections, she shook with laughter. Your imagination ran wild, none of this happened, she chuckled.
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When I asked my close cousin whether she remembers, she nodded no and tells me that my mind has kneaded separate events into one. We only remember what feels important to us, she offers.
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Does it matters that things didn’t happen as I recall? I’m surely still shaped by this strange amalgamation of images, stories and ideas. They are close and concrete, they have angles and textures, I can wield worlds from them.
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Apichaya Wanthiang (B. 1987, Bangkok, Thailand) holds a BA from Sint-Lukas, Brussels and an MA in Fine Arts from Bergen Academy of Art and Design (KHiB). Piya constructs environments in order to study how they influence our perceptions, behaviors and interactions. She works mainly with painting and installations comprising light, sound and text. Piya has exhibited widely in Norway. She’s had solo exhibitions at the Munch Museum, Kristiansand Kunsthall and UKS. She has worked part time as Assistant Professor at Trondheim Academy of Fine Art and the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design (KMD) in Bergen. She has been on the board of the Norwegian Painters Association (LNM) and of The Young Artists’ Society (UKS). She is currently based in Oslo, Norway.
This exhibition is kindly supported by
