Using newspapers, supermarket flyers, noodles, and cellophane, collaged with traditional mediums of oil and acrylic paint, Krisanamis decontextualizes these easily accessible materials and reduces them to their formal elements, resulting in layered and richly textured abstract compositions. Found objects including plywood and fiberglass tape are incorporated and frequently used in the artist’s newest paintings in the exhibition.

Upon moving to the United States in the early 1990s, Krisanamis began teaching himself English by systematically crossing out words he learned in the newspaper with a thick, black felt-tip pen, creating an increasingly black field of ink over areas of white negative space. His first collaged paintings grew out of this process; these abstract grid-like images recall a night sky or aerial view of an urban landscape.

Krisanamis has consistently been in dialogue with the history of abstract painting throughout his career. He weaves together various references in a single composition including his use of collaged elements, variations on the grid, layering of color fields, and gestural markings. The artist’s most recent abstract works on canvas and plywood feature gestural lines influenced by calligraphic writing.

Though he does not disclose the details of the context or narrative of his work, Krisanamis has described his method as spontaneous, which he parallels to musical improvisation–weaving together color, line, and collaged elements in a rhythmic manner to form his compositions. The names of his artworks are also often inspired by song titles and lyrics taken from his current playlist, adding to the cadence and emotive qualities of the work.

About Udomsak Krisanamis

Born in 1966 in Bangkok, Thailand, Udomsak Krisanamis received his BFA from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok in 1989, and his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1993. Notable solo exhibitions include Udomsak Krisanamis, Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland (2003); The Intimate Portrait, Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio (2000); and Udomsak Krisanamis, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington (1997). Krisanamis’s work is included in international collections including the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; and the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, Paris. The artist currently lives and works in Chang Mai, Thailand.