The 12th White Elephant Art Award focuses on realistic and figurative art which refers to art that depicts everyday objects, figures or subjects in a realistic or true-to-life way. After The White Elephant Art Award announced a theme of "Cherish The World", two artists -- Jarun Pan-onta and Surapun Kwansaensuk -- drew inspiration from nature to create paintings. As a result, Jarun won the White Elephant Prize while Surapun won a special prize called the Khunying Wanna Sirivadhanabhakdi Award, created for the first time.
Despite working as an artist for over 20 years, Jarun had never won major awards at art competitions. In the past, he received honourable mentions from the Panasonic Contemporary Painting Competition, Asia Plus Art Contest and Amata Art Award. Therefore, he did not expect to win the White Elephant Art Award and was surprised.
"When I saw a text from the White Elephant Art Award, I thought I had another honourable mention. But after I carefully read the message, I realised that I had actually won the White Elephant Prize. I was thrilled and woke my son up to share the good news," said Jarun with a chuckle.
After Surapun earned his master's from the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, he started participating in art competitions. Among his awards, he won third prize at the Bualuang Painting' competition for his painting Happiness From Himmavanta, an honourable mention at the PTT Art Competition from Nareephon, and most recently the special Khunying Wanna Sirivadhanabhakdi Award, which he did not expect.
"I was stunned because I did not know about the Khunying Wanna Sirivadhanabhakdi Award. Receiving awards gives me encouragement to pursue my artistic goal. However, artwork that does not receive awards should not be dismissed as lacking quality," said Surapun.
Life spoke to the two winners about their inspiration and their lives in the art world.
All The Same by Jarun Pan-onta
Winner of White Elephant Award
All The Same is a painting with intricate details that depicts various animal and plant life. Upon closer look, viewers will see that each image is composed of multiple human figures. One judge complimented All The Same for being the best painting at the competition which depicts diversity in the world. It displays the concept that everything on this planet is connected to humanity.
"I often watch YouTube videos about philosophy and religion. When I heard the theme was 'Cherish The World', it clicked inside me because I have always been interested in this concept. I believe that everything in the world consists of small components that combine to make a whole. When things come to an end, everything dissolves and goes back to the beginning. However, people think they are superior to other life forms, so they harm and exploit nature," explained Jarun.
When Jarun graduated from Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, he worked as an art teacher for children with special needs in Khon Kaen for two years. After his contract ended, he relocated to Chiang Mai where he currently resides and earns a living through his paintings and sculptures. Jarun constantly challenges himself and explores new techniques in his art. His most recent work, Imagination From Traces, showcases his use of an improvised process.
"I am attracted to the texture of stains and have a keen interest in wabi-sabi, which is a Japanese aesthetic concept that appreciates imperfection. Hence, I decided to create a painting without any predetermined plan. I felt free during the creative process and the end result was satisfying," he said.
Jarun plans to spend his 1 million baht winnings from the 12th White Elephant Art Award to build a new studio. He hopes that winning this award will open doors to new clients and art collectors.
"I aspire to connect with more art collectors. Being an artist can be financially challenging despite my passion for painting. With an expanded network of art collectors, I may not have to produce a large volume of work. Instead, I can focus on creating fewer higher-quality pieces," said Jarun.
Paradise by Surapun Kwansaensuk
Winner of Khunying Wanna Sirivadhanabhakdi Award
The semi-abstract painting Paradise depicts figures of people and animals painted in golden hues. The figures are filled with colourful leaves and blossoms. The background of the painting is full of diverse flowers and plants adding richness to the composition.
"The painting is titled Paradise to represent an idealistic place. In the present world, environmental issues are severe, but in an ideal world, our environment should be abundant like in the painting. I interpreted the theme of the competition 'Cherish The World' to mean that all living creatures in the world are connected to nature. Hence in my painting, I filled the figures of people and animals with flowers and leaves which symbolise nature," explained Surapun.
Surapun has a background in Thai art, so his paintings showcase techniques used in traditional murals and temple imagery. His award-winning paintings Happiness From Himmavanta, Nareephon and Paradise were created using a unique technique of acrylic on plastwood, a type of plastic material.
"Plastwood is a glossy and slippery material that allows acrylic paint to be absorbed and blended together, resulting in a special texture. Paradise differs from Happiness From Himmavanta and Nareephon because the figures are presented in a more contemporary style rather than Thai traditional forms," explained Surapun.
Surapun, who is now a guest lecturer at Sripatum University, plans to use a portion of the 400,000 baht award to purchase painting equipment for future work. As an artist, he emphasised the importance of managing the balance between time, money and ideas to carry on his career. Although Surapun does not actively promote his work on social media, he expressed reconsidering this approach after receiving a major award.
"Artists should be recognised. I sometimes think that I should post my work on my social media, but I am worried about negative feedback because it can be discouraging. However, I hope that more people will get to know me through the White Elephant Art Award Exhibition. It brings me joy to meet, chat and exchange ideas with viewers. These interactions encourage me to continue my artistic journey," said Surapun.
All award-winning paintings and other selected works will be displayed at the 12th White Elephant Art Award Exhibition which will run at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) until July 20. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/TheWhiteElephantArtAward.
