Marvelous Beasts: A Surreal Morphology of the Himmapan Forest

Abstract

Abstract

               This series of drawings looks to the legendary Himmapan Forest as its source for natural and fantastic forms. The reasoning for this is two-fold: firstly, the representations are central to the Ramakien, the sacred epic seminal to Thai beliefs and imagery; secondly, the mutations of the mythical creatures populating the forest resonate when considered in light of the early 20^th century Western art movement Surrealism, which has been crucial to the evolution of art making in Europe and the U.S.

               In earlier creative production I have drawn from the Surrealist legacy, exploring the construction of hybrid forms through bricolage and mixed media, and themes have included awkwardness, illogic and the uncanny. In this vein, venturing into the Himmapan Forest while recalling the Surrealist practitioners' games with the unexpected was a worthwhile point of departure for creating the series of drawings.

               Traditional media have been used to make the drawings. As mentioned above, the starting point for each drawing's form was sourced from Thai traditional art, in particular the mythological animals and characteristic flora of the Himmapan Forest. More specifically, the decorative or figurative details--i.e. the shapes, patterns, textures, or anatomical features-- served as base forms for the process of visual bricolage. Whereas traditional representations of the Himmapan animals feature whole hybridized beings that are super-normal—ferocious, fantastic, and exotic—these drawings deconstruct the impressive bodies significantly, focusing more on constituent elements in unfamiliar and non-functional arrangements.

               The developed images thus re-contextualize the traditional subject matter, offering another visualization of life in a place invisible to the eyes of mortals. The Himmapan Forest in this case becomes a locus where themes of mutation and mal-adaptation play out.