22 October 2020

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Pinaree Sanpitak, one of Thailand's most internationally acclaimed artists, celebrates the sacred and the sensual with two interactive—even edible—exhibits in Bangkok. By Vincent Vichit-Vadakan.

If you think about it, plenty of people consider the female chest a type of temple. For anyone familiar with the work of Thai artist Pinaree Sanpitak, Breast Stupa Cookery: The World Turns Upside Down at Bangkok’s Nova Contemporary is just the latest evolution of her career-long exploration of femininity, maternity, sensuality and spirituality, seen through her plump, inviting interpretations of the female anatomy.

Sanpitak’s artistic interest in the shape dates back to her Breast Works, that coincided with the birth of her son (today, a cutting-edge fashion designer, Shone Puipia) in 1993. She introduced the concept of the breast stupa in 2001. “I thought it was a beautiful shape,” she says. “You could say it’s a self portrait. It grew with me and evolved with me.”

The show, along with its sister exhibit, titled House Calls at nearby 100 Tonson Foundation, draws a parallel between the sensuous breast shape and that of the stupa, the domed structure found in Buddhist temples, a recurring theme of Sanpitak’s over the years. “I combine the breast and the stupa, the sacred and the sensual,” she says—and the seemingly incongruous juxtaposition is a moving one. “It’s about emotions.” For the artist, all reactions, from surprise to amusement to the occasional puerile giggle, are welcome.

Read more: https://travelandleisureasia.com/this-art-exhibit-is-a-celebration-of-breasts-and-stupas/  

SOURCE: Travel and Leisure Asia