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Published on October 29, 2007

 Chosen from among 800 entries, the winning paintings, sculptures, writings and musical compositions in this year's Young Thai Artist Awards demonstrate why the series - sponsored by the Siam Cement Foundation and now in its fourth year - is among the region's most forward-looking creativity competitions.

The comprehensive awards come with generous scholarships, topping Bt3 million in total, and promise exposure both at home and abroad.

All of the winning works will be exhibited from January 18 to February 17 at the National Art Gallery on Bangkok's Chao Fah Road.

An etched painting entitled "You Are What You Eat" garnered the prize for 22-year-old Pachara Piyasongsoot of Silpakorn University in the painting and graphics category, which alone drew 366 entries.

The work is a rebuke to manufacturers who lure consumers into buying chemically contaminated food that can ruin their health.

"This is how people, directly or indirectly, harm each other," Pachara says. "It's a picture of a man being transformed into food. "Neither natural disasters nor diseases can wipe out the human race, but humans destroy themselves."

In the three-dimensional-art category, covering sculpture and mixed media, Kan Kwankaew of King Mongkut's Institute of Technology at Lad Krabang, who's also 22, got the nod for his stucco creation "Family Happiness".

His inspiration was the strong bond he has with his mother. "It's become a source of great warmth in my life," he says.

Ampannee Satoh, 24, of Rangsit University won the award in the photography category, which had 291 entries.

Using a gelatin-silver printing technique, her "Under the Hijab" is about the Muslim women of Thailand's southern provinces, who she believes are too often depicted in the news media as fostering terrorism.

"The hijab is the traditional Muslim head covering," Ampannee points out.

"News reports about the continuing unrest in the South have resulted in differing viewpoints, and the image of the Muslim women there was adversely affected after some of them joined in violent protests against the authorities. I wanted to portray another side of these women."

Among the 100 films entered in the competition, the 3D animation "A Little Piece of Memory" by Sittitsak Jiampotjaman, 22, of Silapakorn University earned the judges' favour. It's the story of a boy who dreams of becoming an aquanaut.

In the writing category, "A New God in the Villages of Day and Night" by Chetawan Thuaprakhon, 24, of Kasetsart University claimed the prize.

It's a collection of 10 short stories that reflects social problems such as rampant consumerism and the failure of the educational system. Too many people, he says, are abandoning values and ignoring the difference between right and wrong - the day and night of the title.

"Most of the stories are fictional," Chetawan says, "but they never really depart from reality."

There was no winner in the music composition, but an award of distinction was given to Rapeedej Kullabut of Mahidol University for his song "Pleang Sang Muang".

Kupluthai Pungkanon

 The Nation