Kamin Lertchaiprasert: An Interview

Thai conceptual performance video artist Kamin Lertchaiprasert (b.1964) anchors his work through a commitment to the core principles of Buddhism and his definitive goal to create “life-specific” rather than “site-specific” art. For Lertchaiprasert, the purpose of art is to reclaim the meaningfulness of human activities and collaboration. The artist describes how his techniques of production and his choice of medium ranges from environmental works, to formal sculptures made from recycled materials, to the use of relational aesthetics in the creation of collaborative workshops. With reference to cultural and religious differences between East and West, Lertchaiprasert also posits how the philosophy of art under Buddhist ideals can be a matter of survival, helping us to better understand the essence of being alive. -Faye Gleisser

Lertchaiprasert currently lives and works in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He has had solo exhibitions at the Visual Dhamma Gallery, Bangkok (1991, 1992, and 1995), Con-Tempus, Bangkok Fine Arts Center (1992 and 1994), Tadu Contemporary Art, Bangkok (1997 and 2006), Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane (1998), Numthong Gallery, Bangkok (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2009, and 2012), Gallery Art U, Osaka (2001), Bangkok University Art Gallery (2004), Art-U room, Tokyo (2005 and 2009), Valentine Willie Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur (2005), 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok (2008), and Art Forum, Singapore (2010). 

Interview conducted by Sandra Cate in September 2011, edited in 2014.