ARTIST Manit Sriwanichpoom’s Pink Man has pushed his pink trolley into Phuket’s galeria346 in Phuket Town.

The Pink Man in Paradise, an exhibition of performance-photography works, is set
in Bali after the nightclub bombings of October 2002.

The Pink Man wanders through pictures of the island’s natural surroundings pushing his trademark pink trolley as a jarring symbol of tourism’s consumer culture.

Last month’s exhibition opening attracted both travellers and long-time residents who mingled with members of the Thai art scene and art students.

This is the first time the works have been shown in Thailand.

Art critic, Steven Pettifor, author of Flavours: Contemporary Thai Art, said the exhibition was a ‘comment to the spiritual void of contemporary existence and the endless desire to fill that void with our purchasing power’.

Sriwanichpoom’s latest parody of tourism takes on a darker tone with allusions to the global war on terror, but this is less overtly political than his previous works.

The work combines universal themes and aesthetics whilst retaining a sincerity that comes from an Asian sensitivity.

Gallery owner, Jorge Carlos Smith, said Sriwanichpoom’s conceptual artwork
expressed a particularly lucid mindset using experimental forms which were still easily understandable.

“Sriwanichpoom is a leader in the Thai contemporary art scene, and his works fit in nicely with our plans to display Thai artwork of substance, not just style,” he said.

Both Smith and Pettifor see the emphasis on the color pink as particularly resonant in Thailand’s current political unrest, where opponents designate their political allegiances through the color of their clothing.

In a wider context, the Pink Man represents a juxtaposition between the natural and the unnatural, authenticity and reproduction.

Sriwanichpoom’s photographs blend reality and illusion together in snapshots that convey both a feeling of travel and a sense of isolation.

The series also puts the spotlight on how tourism has been changed by rapid globalisation, increases in affordable travel, and threats of terrorism and natural disaster.

The artist’s choice of empty and unpopulated backdrops is particularly resonant in Thailand, as it attempts to recover from the tsunami, its political crisis, and its economic insecurities.

Sriwanichpoom quietly acknowledge tourism as both a source of deterioration and a social necessity.

“The question is how to find a compromise between the masses of holiday-makers and responsible travel alternatives,” said Mr Smith.

The exhibition runs until February at Galeria346 at 346-348 Yak Bangnaew, Phuket Rd, in Phuket Town.

For further information, visit www.phuket346.com