In With the Wind, 2024 Kanokwan Sutthang explores the intricate details of small objects within our ecosystem-those that fall, float, and intertwine with space and time. Her powerful paintings focus on weed, invasive plants that spread into agricultural spaces, expanding and reproducing through the wind.

The act of falling and floating suggests a borderless existence, as these organisms thrive in unusual environments. What is part of the natural cycle in one context becomes labeled a "weed" when it crosses into agricultural zones. Farmers, driven by the demands of capitalist and economic systems, are tasked with eradicating these weed to protect their crops.

 

Kanokwan's work captures this tension through delicately rendered images of pollen drifting in the wind. Her paintings, though visually beautiful and tranquil,

are imbued with the harsh logic of invasive plants and species. This becomes an allegory for human migration, evoking the constant movement of people shaped by life circumstances and external factors. The floating pollen conveys a sense of loneliness, waiting to settle in new lands. This seemingly ordinary phenomenon prompts deeper questions about the concept of the "state" through floating life. Through her choice of materials and the themes in her paintings, Kanokwan draws attention to the struggles, adaptations, and survival of living beings. Her work encourages viewers to reflect on the intersections of nature, migration, and the systems that define existence in compelling and thought-provoking ways.

 

Kanokwan Sutthang is an artist dedicated to capturing and creating simple beauty through the logic of painting and contemporary art installations. Her work focuses on small, seemingly insignificant details, which she amplifies and reimagines using the tools and language of contemporary art. Her artistic vision transforms simplicity into depth, offering fresh perspectives on the truths of our era. Kanokwan's paintings are rich with subtle traces of thought. These ideas, while initially small, have the potential to grow and take on greater significance within ecological, environmental, economic, social, and political contexts. Her work reflects an ability to magnify the overlooked, revealing its deeper connections and impact on the world around us.