Dimension: 134 x 408 cm
Year created: 2025-2026
Bangkok Art Biennale 2026, Angels and Mara. Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC), 8th Floor.
29 October 2026 – 28 February 2027
Mary Pakinee’s artistic practice begins with an interest in collecting, possession, and classification, particularly the process of taking something out of its original context and giving it new meaning.
The botanical paintings in this installation continue her previous work. She combines parts of the female body with botanical forms to create imaginary organisms, which she presents in the style of a Cabinet of Curiosities. Although she knows what these organisms are made from, viewers may see something completely different. For example, a form based on the spine might look like coral to someone else, or an egg cell might resemble a type of berry. This is because people see things through their own knowledge and experiences.
People who recognize these women may already have memories or feelings associated with them, while those who do not might simply see a woman on a screen. Similarly, viewers may identify different things in the botanical paintings, depending on what they already know.
In relation to the theme Angels and Mara, Pakinee is interested in how opposites often make people feel that they have to choose a side, or even a position somewhere in between.
For her, choosing these women as subjects does not necessarily mean that she admires or dislikes them. She may have different, even conflicting feelings at the same time, and does not believe that these feelings must lead to a single judgment.
What interests Pakinee most is the moment just before judgment. As viewers encounter these images, they bring their own memories, knowledge, and feelings. She wonders how much of the meaning they give to the person in front of them comes from who that person is, and how much comes from the viewers themselves.