Wanlop Hansunthai

  “Definitely, an artist must be aware of the world and the society which he or she is part. […] Painting is not a game, not something you do just for fun; it comes with a responsibility that I take seriously.” Achim Borchardt-Hume and Wilhelm Sasnal, “A Conversation about Painting”   These words of the Polish artist Wilhelm Sasnal (b. 1972) could also be those of Wanlop Hansunthai. When first entering one of the rooms of The Presence of Silence, visitors will face a series of abstract paintings and perhaps assume they are nothing more than an ode to the beauty of matter. And in taking their next step, viewers may smile upon seeing an army of stones with little legs; so playful do these rocks seem, one might be unexpectedly reminded of Minions, the much-adored animated creatures. Given these initial impressions of the works, why invoke the words of Sasnal? As a wanderer, a hedonist, and an epicurean, Wanlop appreciates setting aside time to walk and observe the world around him, partic