Phaptawan Suwannakudt

Phaptawan Suwannakudt’s work engages with the idea of translation in visual art, and often use Thai language as a visual form, abstracted from the original context. The materials component of the work serve as symbolic representations of cultures. The work explores Buddhist concept of “inter-being” where one’s being does not exist as a single form, but as a complex entity in relation to the experience of others. Phaptawan Suwannakudt currently explores the use of materials and social existences through experiences from Thailand and Australia.

Born in 1959 in Bangkok, Phaptawan Suwannakudt lives and works in Sydney. Phaptawan was trained as a mural painter in the workshop of her father, the late master Paiboon Suwannakudt, and led her own workshop of mural painting team, completing 10 commissioned projects for public spaces throughout Thailand during 1982-1995. She has participated in exhibitions internationally on a regular basis since 1990, including the 18th Biennale of Sydney at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2012, Bangkok Biennale in 2020, and The National 4 at the Art Gallery of NSW in 2021. Her works are in public and private collections locally and overseas, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Bank Sydney, and the National Gallery Thailand. Her work was also part of the exhibition Traces of Words: Art of Asia at the Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada from May to October 2017.