Exhibitions

‘From Nomad to Nowhere’ by Prach Pimarnman – Warin Lab Contemporary

Warin Lab Contemporary

Oct 19 - Nov 30, 2024

^{Kampong (6๐26’32.7”N 101๐ 49’30.8”E), 2024
All images courtesy of Warin Lab Contemporary}

Warin Lab Contemporary is pleased to present a solo exhibition From Nomad to Nowhere by Prach Pimarnman.  As a resident of Narathiwat, one of the southernmost provinces of Thailand, Prach witnesses the impact of capitalist intervention on the local fishing community.  The exhibition explores the ongoing tribulation that impairs the balance of their existence.

For generations, fishermen have had a harmonious connection with their seaborne surroundings. Historically, the sea people were nomadic, navigating coastal deltas and islands.  Eventually, some settled at a location where the Bang Nara River meets the Gulf of Thailand when it was vacant and undeveloped.  Until recently, the land they reside in has been assigned under the Marine Department's jurisdiction, rendering their presence debatable, or owned by local magnates who expanded their holdings by reclaiming more land area into the water.

The coastal landscape has also undergone radical changes, with natural landmarks flattened for roads and construction, sand dunes dredged, and erosion barriers fortified. Selective reclamation projects have further transformed the coastline and rivers, undermining the richness of the land and the bond between the people and their environment.

Prach captures the tension between the vanishing natural landscape and the vulnerable yet resilient community whose livelihood depends on nature.  He  metaphors the memories of the location, through his use of materials belonging to the locality such as pounded bricks, seashells, charcoal, and thrown-away fishnets.  Prach mirrors the community’s struggle to preserve their way of life, pressured by ever increasing capitalization.

About the Artist

Prach Pimarnman is deeply interested in uncovering the intersections of history and narratives of the Malay people in Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala provinces, as well as in former cities such as Patani, Kelantan, and Kedah, and how these areas are connected to Bangkok. His past works explored these themes. 
 
In this exhibition, Prach delves further into questioning the diverse groups of people of Narathiwat, often referred to as mountain people or sea people, and the origins of these various communities, using both ready-made and found materials.
 
Prach is active in promoting local art development in the deep south of Thailand. In 2015, he founded De' Lapae Art Center in Narathiwat and the Satu ≠ Padu Collaborative in 2021.