Confessional art of Methagod

Methagod is a young Thai artist who lives in Chiang Mai, native of Ubonratchathani. After he studied law school, he decided to dedicate himself to his first passion, art. Even though the two professions seem opposed, both of them try to highlight taboos’ issues of the society. Law works give justice and restore truth stories whereas artists denounce and claim, through their art, what they need to reveal.

Methagod uses his art in order to talk about gender and its place in the Thai society. Through his art, he assumes his bisexuality. Unlike a lot of artist in Thailand, he is not afraid to express himself about his own sexuality, despite the society judgment that he has to handle. Nonetheless, he wants to give the example to the other artists, by claiming the truth instead of hiding himself. His law soul has, perhaps, not completely disappears after all…

Methagod is also an artist who likes to understand people, by provoking them and turns the social codes of the society upsides down.  This artwork is a great example of it.

Indeed, he puts together a sanitary napkin, considered as dirty, and a catholic symbol “Santa Maria” considered as pure. This unusual mixing made the audience reconsidered some preconceived ideas. Indeed, why a sanitary napkin, used as an art support, would not be worthy to carry on, a religious sign? Yet, this object is a representation of the femininity, and one of the greatest inventions for all women in the world. However, he received a lot of critic of catholic Thai people, which considered this artwork disrespectful.

The immaculate (Etching 2016)

Methagod is interested in sociological study:  first, provoking, then, analyse society’s reaction.

When he was a child, Methagod created a character, which followed him all his life. Now this same character comes back frequently in his sculpture, drawing or painting. In fact, the artist can see himself in it, like his own reflection on a mirror. We can perceive on the character the same face’s expression that Methagod. Through it, he can express his feelings, personality and identity.

M.Monster (Sculpture 2016)

When he started his artist career, he gives each time to his character a sex gender. Indeed, he was afraid that the society won’t accept a non define gender character. Sometime man, other time women, it was a way to show that one character could be both. Nowadays, the artist doesn’t put any sex gender because it is not something significant for him. He wants to claim that what define us is not our sex gender but who we feel to be.  What represents this character is not what gender it belongs to, but in which context he has evolved. That’s why, he is always dressed up, and surrounding by different style environments.

Art for Methagod was a true soul liberation, a release in his life because he found the way to express himself without any fear.

Then, his artwork is not limited by the gender subject. Indeed, the artist wants to defend other conviction as the protection of the environment. In 2014, he created an art project, where he drew on a bamboo shell a representation of the Loi Kratong festival lanterns. During this important Thai celebration, lanterns are release in the sky. However, in Chiang Mai few years ago, it was possible to release the lanterns every night.  It was a source of pollution for the town, inflaming nature or even habitations and disturbing the airplane.

Arts help him to protest, it helps him to assume his own conviction and personality.

For Methagod, we don’t create art for the other but, first, for ourselves. Indeed, it is a way to understand who we are and who we want to be. Yesterday, today and tomorrow,  “art will always be a confession”.

Elina Melloul