Boosting the Buffalo

The rural landscapes and rice fields of artist Maitree Siriboon’s youth in his native Isaan have always permeated his artworks.
The 30-year-old-artist, who is best known for his self-portrait showing him seated and sporting blond hair as well as laying down on the back of a buffalo, returns to the Bangkok art scene this month with a new photographic series that places him firmly back in the rice fields.
“Buffalo’s Heart”, which opens Saturday evening at Thavibu Gallery, conveys several powerful images, among them a young boy sitting astride a buffalo clutching a MacPro under his arm. There’s another with the buffalo colourfully painted with Dutch master Mondrian’s signature grid.
The Silpakorn graduate also uses multi-coloured mosaic collages in heart-shapes portraying dozens of tiny buffaloes.
The artist pays tribute to and uses the imagery of the buffalo as a symbol of the country’s culture and history, pointing out that it was the buffalo through its hard work that helped build Thailand into a rice-farming nation and then into the modern nation it is today.
“Today, we hardly see buffaloes working in the rice fields, and yet they remain one of the most respected animals in Thailand. Their numbers are decreasing rapidly, and they now have assumed new roles as a decorative item, a family pet, a source of food and as a cultural icon for tourism purposes,” he says sadly.
The buffalo has had lasting influences over Thai culture and beliefs and historically has represented positive attributes. However, in recent times, the buffalo has become a metaphor for many negative attitudes toward people. The word ‘buffalo’ (kwai in Thai) is often applied to describe someone who is less educated, foolish, stupid, or who is difficult to train. The dichotomy of attitudes towards this important animal is a symbol of the changes in Thai society.
In this series, the artist sets his young model in different poses and environments. The artist has the boy go bare-chested, his slim frame covered from the waist down in a pa-khao-ma, the traditional attire of Isaan’s farmers. In one shot, the boy is carrying lotus blooms. In another, he is posing on the buffalo’s back as well as standing in the lotus pond.
He dons his school uniform for “Buffalo Boy and His MacBook” and poses with a schoolgirl, also in uniform, atop a straw mound for “A View from the Top”. The uniforms refer to their education and reminds the viewer of the unfair attitudes towards farming culture and buffalo boys.
     PLOUGHING AHEAD
- “Buffalo’s Heart” opens at 5pm on Saturday with live music and a dance performance by Isaan children.
- The exhibition runs until July 13. Thavibu Gallery is in Unit 433 on the fourth floor of the Silom Galleria. Find out more at www.Thavibu.com.