Latthapon Korkiatarkul is a conceptual artist who has a particular focus on materiality. Shifting between painting, drawing and sculpture, Korkiatarkul is fascinated by dissecting the subjective relationships that we possess with different objects. For example, banknotes may be scrubbed blank and preserved in plexiglass, an eggshell may be coated in varnish, or square pieces of paper may undergo layers of ink, acrylic or graphite. What sits at the heart of these material interventions is the desire to better understand the particularities of an object’s character. Rather than developing formulaic material processes, his practice is guided by intuition and anchored by an innate curiosity to dissect social associations, rather than sustaining material processes or themes. In his own words “it might just be a natural reaction to my observations of the material that in turns dictates what I choose to do with it”. The resulting works have a quiet power to them, a sheen of varnish, or the unceremonious nature of their display drawing in the attention of viewers. This minimalist, abstract way of thinking sustains Korkiatarkul’s practice, as he continues to dig into, alter and adjust original meanings of habitual materials or objects—revealing both the power of signification in contemporary society and its malleability. ...
