Kamolros Wonguthum

Reconstructing Thai femininity
By Alana Malika

Kamolros Wonguthum applies autobiographical storytelling to dissect the gendered power structures she faces as a Thai woman. The London and Bangkok based artist draws from her personal narrative as an entry point into discourses on Feminist Critical Theory. With an oeuvre ranging from drawing, poetry, collage and more, Wonguthum frequently employs a mixed media approach to craft commentaries that decenter the patriarchy so as to make space for female empowerment.

Kamolros Wonguthum, ‘I AM A FEMININE PROTAGONIST: ฉันเป็นตัวนำหญิงแต่ฉันไม่ใช่นางเอก’, 2017, installation view at Ver Gallery. Image courtesy of the artist and Ver Gallery.

After graduating from Bangkok University with an undergraduate degree in visual arts, Wonguthum departed to London to attend a fine arts graduate program at Goldsmiths University of London. Since then, the artist has divided her time between London and Bangkok, oftentimes tapping into her own experiences as a female artist in the two cities. She has participated in both group and solo exhibitions, including ‘They Have Brought an Eraser with Them’ (2020) at A+ Work of Art Gallery and ‘I Take Care of Things’ (2019) at Raw Labs, with more exhibitions coming as part of her current residency at Gallery Ver, Bangkok. With her distinct voice and clear feminist stance, Wonguthum not only integrates poetry into her art practice buthas a self-published book titled ‘A WEEK ROMANCE’ about South-East Asian romance and the Bangkok art world.

Kamolros Wonguthum, ‘Tales of Eyes’, 2017, installation view at MFA Fine Art Degree Show at Goldsmiths University. Image courtesy of the artist.

Wonguthum’s first solo exhibition ‘I AM A FEMININE PROTAGONIST / ฉันเป็นตัวนำหญิง(แต่ฉันไม่ใช่นางเอก)’ (2017) unpacks the hypervisibility of female sexuality through her experience as a Thai woman. In a series of metallic collages, she uses metaphors for female sexuality like cherries, which is a symbol of desirable virginity, and candies, a reference to the commodification of female bodies. Through these works, the artist voices her awareness of the foreign male gaze in Thailand where sex tourism is rampant. Inspired by stories of women coming out as victims, Wonguthum intends to depict the Thai femininity as a dynamic construct defined by Thai women embracing their individuality rather than a stereotype that oppresses women.

Kamolros Wonguthum, ‘Second Best (sketch no.2)’, 2020, ink and pencil on tracing paper, Indian cotton paper, and Hermes shopping bag (paper), 48 x 42cm. Image courtesy of the artist, A+Works of Art and Ver Gallery.

Through the lens of Materialist Feminism, ‘Second Best’ (2020) recognises the inherently patriarchal characteristic embedded within the infrastructure of capitalism. Wonguthum overlays a deconstructed Hermès shopping bag with ink sketches of women expressing their agency by playing golf and protesting. However, by utilising people’s instant association of Hermès’ signature ‘Orange H’ to the French luxury brand, she prompts viewers to reflect on their unconscious fixations on consumerism. ‘Second Best’ serves as a reminder to women not to settle for the deceptive gains of representational politics or ‘girlboss culture’. It reminds women not to fight to be in the free market, but rather to fight to be free.

Click here to read our conversation with Kalmoros Wonguthum.