2011 UOB Painting Of the Year - Thailand
Artist: Suwannee Sarakana, (b.1979 Thailand)
Title: Hug Of Love From My Family
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size (cm): 170.0 x 170.0 cm
The outsider looking in might think the family sleeping on these simple mats to be poor but they are rich in love. This intimate family portrait is inspired by Ms Suwanne's own childhood in a small town in Northeast Thailand. Her parents were rice farmers who worked hard for a living, struggling in the dirt and heat of the sun. At night however, the day's exhaustion would evaporate in the love of her family as they slept together and this bond would strengthen them for the next day's work.
Ms Suwanne makes us question the importance of family in our own lives and the consequences of not treasuring our parents and siblings. Are we prepared for a day when we wake up from our modern beds to find our family gone?
Ms Suwannee is a renowned professional artist in Thailand.