Chaichana Luetrakun’s (b.1991) evocative works explore the universe of wreckage and trash, drawing urgent attention to what these abandoned items tell us about our world today. Through Chaichana’s vivid depictions of piles of debris, used cars and demolished buildings, we start to comprehend the bleak future that lies ahead if we continue to mindlessly build and destroy, feeding our insatiable appetite for renewal. These works offer a bird’s-eye view of the rapid multiplication of these abandoned items, warning us of the looming threat we face if our current practices persist. Through these works, the painter predicts that a thicker and thicker cloud of such ingenious inventions and innovations could finally overwhelm and detach Earth from space, leading to its destruction.

 

Chaichana is among Thailand’s most notable young artists. In the prestigious UOB Painting of the Year Competition, he was the first to win in two consecutive years: he was awarded “Most Promising Artist of the Year” in 2018 and the Grand Prize in 2019.