H GALLERY CHIANG MAI

RECENT PAINTINGS

Mitree Parahom

May and June 2014

Thai artist Mitree Parahom, a 44-year-old graduate of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand continues his ongoing exploration of themes related to agrarian and rural life in his home province of Si Saket in Northeastern Thailand. Mitree’s intimate portrayals of Isaan people reveal the dignity, camaraderie, and humour of these upcountry farmers. Despite physical hardship and the uncertainty of nature, Mitree’s paintings convey his subject’s undeniable bond with the land. Symbiotically tethered to their labouring oxen, and wrapped in layers of clothing to protect from the sun’s ravages, the artist places his plebeian subjects against the vividly coloured flat plains and endless horizons that epitomise the Isaan landscape. These paintings in dense rich colors express the artist’s admiration for the Isaan farmer’s life of simplicity, and stoicism in the face of adversity.