Obscene, 2014
In 2012, Manit Sriwanichpoom made a series, which depicts his own vision of Thai politics, when Yingluck Shinawatra became first female Prime Minister. The Constitutional Court forced her to step down in May 2014 after finding her guilty of abusing her power.
Obscene (2012) are Baroque nudes. These Caravagesque, charged and saturated colour photographs confront the garish vulgarity of present-day Thai politics: administrations, drunk on power, trumpet ideals of democracy while painting themselves as self-sacrificing heroes, defenders of freedom, and harbingers of “justice” to our benighted country. The red colour has broader universal connotations; it can symbolize desire, passion, obsession and vanity.
« This series stems from when Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra came to power. The PR machine particularly uses gender as a tool for gaining political popularity and avoiding lawful scrutiny by making her legitimate accusers appear like macho bullies. You might think that having a beautiful woman as Prime Minister would soften political conflict in the country, but for me her female beauty is a cynical disguise for violence. » Manit Sriwanichpoom.
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