Vasan Sitthiket - Ever Free as a Bird in the Sky (from the series Blue October)

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Ever Free as a Bird in the Sky (from the series Blue October)

1996

Blue October is based on the 1976 Thammasat University massacre, known in Thailand as the 6 October event. Thai state forces and far-right paramilitaries attacked student protesters on the campus. Several persons were killed, female students were raped, and hundreds were injured. Vasan experienced this violent tragedy personally, which prompted him to become an activist and socially-engaged artist. By producing Blue October twenty years after the event, Vasan not only commemorates the event, but also underscores the importance of history and memory.

Details

Medium:

Acrylic, blue powder and gold leaf on canvas

Dimension:

150 x 150 cm

Date:

1996

Credit Line:

Collection of ILHAM Foundation

About Vasan Sitthiket

Vasan Sitthiket was born in 1957 in Nakhon Sawan, Thailand. He has become one of the country’s most prominent and socially engaged artists, and his work often addresses a wide range of social and political issues in Thai society, with an emphasis on political corruption and oppression. Vasan’s practice includes painting, drawing, print, and installation, and he has also produced poetry, children’s books, and political essays. Vasan graduated from the College of Fine Art in Bangkok. He has exhibited widely, including at the Venice Biennale (2003). He was awarded the Silpakorn Award from the Thai Ministry of Culture (2007), and his works have been collected by Museum of Modern Art, Thailand’s National Art Gallery, the Queensland Art Gallery, and the Singapore Art Museum.

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