BANGKOK CITYCITY GALLERY is proud to unveil ‘Tears I’ve Never Cried’, a solo exhibition by Dhanut Tungsuwan, presenting new large-scale paintings. Employing found images reminiscent of personal experiences, he creates paintings that are rich in narrative ambiguity and emotional depth, inviting audiences to find their own connections to the scenes and their own personal experiences at his second solo exhibition at the gallery.

As a digital native with a keen interest in film, Tungsuwan’s work delves into the assimilation of diverse visual elements, employing found images often sourced from YouTube or Hollywood films that serve as catalysts for the recollection of memories. Solitude emerges as a central theme in Tungsuwan’s work, depicted not as loneliness but as a state of reflective isolation—a “good lonely”, in the artist’s own words. This solitude is closely tied to themes of growing up and coming of age, with paintings serving as a means of processing ideas and emotions. Nostalgia permeates the work, as Tungsuwan captures the essence of time and memory. In this manner, these scenes, recontextualised as a medium for the exploration of feelings and memories take on an ambiguous nature. Together with their amorphous narratives, they allow viewers to project their own interpretations and emotions onto the scenes, leading to the paintings being intimately autobiographical whilst remaining universally relatable.

The assimilation of found images into his paintings also mirrors the way digital media shapes our perception of reality. Yet, in seeking to remove the constraints of time from his work, his removal of logos and other markers of present-day reality results in the images being exonerated from their temporal contexts. This timeless quality embodies Tungsuwan’s ongoing exploration on the function and significance of painting in an age where technology has rendered image-making cold and efficient, emphasizing the painted medium’s unique value proposition—capturing the essence of memory and emotion.

The painterly tools—editing, removing, enhancing— he utilizes to achieve his desired effects also parallels the increasingly digitized contemporary context, employing a vocabulary commonplace in the realm of photo and film editing. By diverging from traditional Western painting competencies and its associated historical burdens, Tungsuwan’s process becomes unexpectedly subversive. While he aims for his paintings to look Southeast Asian (but not overtly so), the inescapable post-colonial undercurrents of his practice bears the mark of an artist navigating the delicate balance of cultural representation.

‘Tears I’ve Never Cried’ stands as a testament to Tungsuwan’s innovative approach to painting, blending personal memories with found images to create works that are both evocative and enigmatic. Through his exploration of solitude, nostalgia, and timelessness, his paintings reflect potential futures he did not experience, embodying a sense of yearning for unfulfilled desires. This interplay of identity and aspiration is subtly woven into the fabric of his paintings, inviting viewers to explore their own sense of self and possibility. ‘Tears I’ve Never Cried’ by Dhanut Tungsuwan will be at BANGKOK CITYCITY GALLERY (Sathorn Soi 1 – near Lumphini MRT station Exit 2 – parking at 123 Parking). The exhibition will run from August 17 to September 14, 2024 from 13:00 to 18:00 (Closed on Sundays to Tuesdays and holidays). For more information, please contact press@bangkokcitycity.com.