The Toot Yung Art Center is proud to include for the first time this year Thai contemporary sculptor Sommai Ma-on as one of its represented artists. “Reminiscence”, a selection of old and recent works, will give an overview of the artist’s refined body of works.

Sommai’s sculptures are infused with Thai history and folk tales inducing an ageless feel. The materials are sourced from the nature and resonate with ancestral craft techniques and history. Clay from the Sukhotai grounds, teak wood from primary Thai forests, natural pigments such as turmeric or crushed bones are elements commonly found in Sommai’s sculptures. The elegant and simple lines of his works are also a memoir of Thailand’s rich cultural past, with features often evoking Buddhism, death and ephemerality.

About Sommai Ma-On

A graduate of Silapakorn University, Sommai Ma-on is now a recognized sculptor and professor at the Naresuan University of Phitsanulok. Based in California for over two decades, Sommai returned only recently to his native region, reconnecting with his roots and culture. He has exhibited his works several times in California, at the LA Artcore, Los Angeles, and the Las Vegas Art Museum, receiving prestigious prize such as the Excellent Work Achievement Award, Asian Art Now (2001). He has showcased his works extensively in Thailand at the National gallery, the University galleries of Chiang Mai and Phitsanulok.