Kamin Lertchaiprasert: Problem - Wisdom 1993-1995
Kamin Lertchaiprasert was born in Lopburi, Thailand, in 1964. Interested in art from a
very early age, Kamin studied at the College of Fine Arts, Bangkok, from 1978 until 1981.
He continued his art education at Silpakorn University from 1981 to 1987, working in
printmaking while pursuing his own interest in photography. Following the completion of
his studies, Kamin spent the period 1987 to 1990 in New York (USA). Over the next two
years he worked in both Bangkok and New York until his permanent return to Thailand in
1992.
The period 1990-91 marked the beginning of Kamin's questioning of the role of art in
society. His search for the meaning of life and the value of art was profoundly affected
by the philosophies of Daoism and Buddhism and led him in 1990 to become a Buddhist monk
for a period in Thailand. Kamin's art is closely associated with his lived experience. Not
only does he draw on personal history, ideas and beliefs, but the process of making art
interweaves with his philosophy and practice to a degree that the two, art and life,
become inseparable.
Problem - Wisdom is a floor installation consisting of 366 papier mâché
sculptures. It is a work that combines the artist's social concerns with his philosophical
and artistic beliefs. The work commenced in 1993 on the artist's birthday, 14 August, and
took two years to complete. Each day over the first year, the artist read the daily
newspaper and chose an article dealing with a problem. He then cut out the article, soaked
the newspaper and sculpted out of the paper pulp an object in response to the particular
problem. Once the object was shaped, the article that carried the original story was
pasted onto the object. Each day over the second year the artist revisited an object and
reflected on a solution for the problem posed by the story. He then inscribed onto each
sculpture his prescription of wisdom.
The use of calligraphy and language is an intrinsic part of Kamin's artistic practice.
The Thai script in Problem - Wisdom functions on several levels. At its most
obvious it is a system of communication; its calligraphic qualities add a strong aesthetic
pleasure; it intersects with the printed words of the newspaper and comments on their
content; and it refers to Thai culture, since language is a fundamental component of any
culture.
The value and significance of Problem - Wisdom does not merely lie in its
finished form as a group of art objects. Rather, the distinct character of the work lies
in the creative process which brings together time, art, life and philosophy. Problem -
Wisdom incorporates a conventional, linear system of recording time which expands to
include the artist's personal experience and perception of time. Problem - Wisdom
required a very disciplined approach where the artist had to engage in a daily, systematic
revisiting and contemplation of social issues. Thus these 366 objects embody Kamin's
philosophy where the process of making art becomes a meditation on life, which in turn is
a reflection of Buddhist Dhamma.1
In Buddhism, life is defined in terms of the disappointment and suffering caused by
human beings' desire for pleasure, power and continued existence. To avoid disappointment
and suffering, one must stop desiring. Dhamma, or true law, is the Buddha's teaching of
the 'middle way', a negotiation between the extremes of self-denial and worldly life, and
a path to end desire and the suffering associated with it:
'Problem' in my opinion, is something whose cause we do not understand, thus [we] do
not know how to control the situation. And that causes suffering, both physically and
mentally. I believe problems can be solved by wisdom, and that process has to start in
one's own mind first. . .
'Wisdom' in my opinion, means insight into the elements of truth. Wisdom rises from
right and reasonable thinking. To obtain wisdom, we should have good purpose and the right
way. Good purpose intends to exterminate passion and to be of benefit to all human beings.
The right way should be on the path of moral so it does not cause problems to ourselves
and to others.2
Problem - Wisdom reflects a belief that everything in life - good and bad, right
and wrong, male and female - exists in balance, as expressed in Buddhist and Dao
philosophies. It is the flux within this balance, experienced individually in endless
permutations, that determines how one's present and future lives will unfold. This work is
the artist's contemplation of the problems which face contemporary Thai society and his
suggestions for some possible solutions. During the last six months of this project and in
order to better understand problems and solutions, the artist meditated daily. Problem
- Wisdom exemplifies Kamin's process-based art practice as it overlaps with his
philosophy and life. For the Present Encounters conference associated with the Second
Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, held at the Queensland Art Gallery in 1996,
Kamin read out his statement, 'Beyond belief':
| I believe |
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in Buddhism. |
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| I believe |
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that everything is empty. |
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| I believe |
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that emptiness is the origin of nature,
the universe, energy, matter and living things. |
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| I believe |
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that life has two essential components:
body and mind. |
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| I believe |
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that the mind directs and controls the
work of the body. |
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| I believe |
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that the body is constantly changing. |
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| I believe |
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that the mind originally was empty and
unchanging. |
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| I believe |
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that in all ages and periods mankind
through efforts to understand nature, created the various branches of knowledge such as
religion, philosophy, science, art and so on. |
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| I believe |
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that everything is interrelated. |
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| I believe |
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that an understanding of the nature of
our own minds enables us to understand nature, outside ourselves. |
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| I believe |
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that art is one path that will lead us
to understanding the truth of our own nature. |
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| I believe |
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that the process of creating art enables
us to understand our own nature, just as does practising Buddhist dhamma
meditation. |
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| I believe |
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that the true worth of art resides not
in its beauty or utility but in its spiritual value. |
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| I believe |
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that if we understand the original state
of mind and the workings of our mind we will understand that happiness and suffering have
their inevitable causes, and we will be at peace. |
| |
| I believe |
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that the world will be at peace when
minds are calm. |
1 'Dhamma' (Pali) or 'dharma' (Sanskrit)
refers to the doctrine or teaching of the Buddha
2 Kamin Lertchaiprasert, The Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art:
Artists' Statements, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 1996
