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Conflicts of interest

Brian Curtin, a curator and writer who publishes extensively in magazines including Frieze, Art Asia Pacific, Contemporary, Art Journal, Artforum, curated this exhibition at H gallery, Bangkok. He wrote for the press release: 'Conflicts of Interest excites tensions and antagonisms for considerations of what contemporary painting practice is and does. Conflicts of Interest seeks to highlight divisions rather than resolve them. This disunifying theme inquires into how, for example, the rhetoric of authentic expression can be reinvigorated by juxtaposition with the slapdash and ironic.’

I contributed three large paintings to this show (2 x 213 x 274cm, 1 x 244 x 366cm): In one painting a large fountain splaying its water in a celebratory fashion is inserted into the centre of a London street scene. In another, a large ornate, densely decorated golden fish takes centre stage. Buddhist culture’s use of decoration and density in religious artefacts accesses the celebratory qualities of life, the miraculous and ‘other worldly’ pursuits. My most recent work focuses on the layering and bringing together of unexpected elements as part of the extension of the surrealist Breton’s idea of the ‘marvellous’ with an ornate visitation arriving in the middle of the picture plane.

The ‘Conflicts of Interest’ show led to my participation in ‘Siam Paragon Celebration of British Icons’. Siam Paragon is one of the largest department stores in Asia and maximised the public engagement of this work. Supported by the British Council, this show celebrates UK /Thai relations. I made a painting ‘Songkran’ (the name of a Buddhist festival celebrating water and New Year in Thailand) which depicts birth and renewal with a breast like fountain placed in a Bangkok street, referencing Tintoretto’s ‘Origin of the Milky Way’. This exhibition led to an invitation to show in the Thavibu gallery in Thailand in 2014.