RE-ENCHANTED, solo exhibition at VS Gallery, N22 Bangkok
The triumph of capitalism after the Cold War has become more entrenched in the era of globalization, extending its influence through advanced communication technologies. In Thailand, this system has served as a mechanism for the ruling elite to transform spiritual realms into domains of control. By exploiting ancestral spirits and myths, it legitimizes authoritarian power, reinforces economic hierarchies, and perpetuates privilege under the guise of sanctity. Rituals of endless enchantment have created landscapes of faith built upon the fractured ruins of local legends, where sacred spirits are bound within production systems much like labor itself. In Re-enchanted, Sirawit Chatu investigates the intersections of power, faith, and commodification in today’s uncertain era. Employing diverse media—printmaking, traditional religious painting techniques, video, installation, and readymade objects such as talismans—Sirawit critiques how spiritual phenomena are mediated and manipulated. The exhibition also uses the internet as a platform where images, simulations, and faith coexist, blurring the boundaries between authenticity and fabrication. Through these artworks, Re-enchanted exposes the underlying dynamics of control within modern belief systems, while challenging viewers to reflect on the intersections of myth, labor, and authority in contemporary society.
