IN THE CENTER GALLERY

Ponnapa Prakkamakul: Samatha: Stillness in the Chaos

June 2-27, 2021
Opening Reception: Friday, June 4, 2021, 5:00-8:00 pm

Universe Within, pastel on paper, pastel on ceramic bisque, 38 x 38 x 4 inches, 2019.

Artist Statement

Samatha (Thai : สมถะ) is a Pali word mean tranquility of the mind through meditative activities. The word is also commonly used in Thai language to express a life style that based on only the essentials. 

As a painter and a landscape architect, site investigation and immersion plays an important role in my work. I explore surrounding landscape and environments through the performative acts of searching, studying, and collecting natural materials to create place-specific work. This working process was greatly impacted by the Shelter-In-Place order issued in March 2020. Staying indoors, feeling disconnected to the landscape, I started to observe and paint the morning sky looking south from my apartment window. Each morning, I began my day with concentrating to capture the color of the sky at 6am with a clear mind. This meditative process helps me to contemplate and reflect upon the recurrence and impermanence of life. 

33 Weeks At Home is a collaged panoramic landscape of sky color at 6am from March 16 to October 31 in 2020. 

Universe Within is a stereographic collage of the sunrise at the Atacama Desert in Chile.