Natee Utarit b. 1970
“All things are preceded by the mind, led by the mind, created by the mind.”
– Natee Utarit
Artist Biography
Natee Utarit (1970, born and based in Bangkok, Thailand) draws from cultural iconographies across Western and Eastern traditions to confront questions of truth, power and identity. Often through the medium of painting, his work examines the influence of Western hegemony on artistic canons and history, particularly in the context of postcolonial Southeast Asia.
Utarit belonged to a generation of artists in Thailand whose formal art training in local universities was dominated by classical European principles and colonialist sentiments, ones that undermined the lived experience of the students’ personal heritage and sociopolitical landscape. This influenced his interest in making images that wrestled with the dualities of East and West, skepticism and faith, new and old. In his renowned series The Altarpieces (2012), Utarit employs Renaissance painting genres such as portraiture, landscape and still life to create large-scale polyptychs that feature an elaborate mix of cultural and religious icons. They invite viewers to consider the plural and often conflicting existence of cultural realities.
Utarit obtained his BFA in Graphic Arts at Silpakorn University, Bangkok in 1991. His work is held in numerous collections including the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane; Singapore Art Museum; and Bangkok University.
Notable solo exhibitions include Déjà vu (2022), Art Centre Silpakorn University, Bangkok; Déjà vu (2019), Fondazion Made in Cloister, Naples; Optimism is Ridiculous (2018), National Gallery of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur; Optimism is Ridiculous (2017), National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta; Optimism is Ridiculous (2017), Ayala Museum, Makati City; Illustration of the Crisis (2013), Bangkok University Gallery; and After Painting (2010), Singapore Art Museum. The artist has also participated in major international festivals including We Do Not Dream Alone (2021), 1st Asia Society Triennial, New York; Beyond Bliss (2018), 1st Bangkok Art Biennale; Everyday Life (2013), 4th Asian Art Biennial, Taichung; and APT3 (1999), 3rd Asia Pacific Triennial, Brisbane.
Utarit has had two residencies at the STPI Workshop in 2007 and 2023 respectively, resulting in the exhibitions BMW Young Asian Artists Series: Eric Chan, Heman Chong, Lieko Shiga, Natee Utarit and Yim Ja-Hyuk (2007) and Déjà vu: Buddha is Hiding (2024).
