A table full of dreamy food glows in phosphorescent colors; bodies lay deadly still amidst vibrating hues; and glittering objects of affection obscure hidden suffering. These are the creative photography series of Piyanuch Puangpee, a Thai artist from Chiang Mai. They are surreal scenes that delve into difficult issues through blindingly colorful pieces. Her photos are created by shooting chaotic sets that she builds carefully by hand until there’s no space left. Then everything is manipulated with software—sometimes editing things simply to clarify what’s already there, other times bending reality with digital touches, but always exaggerating colors to extreme proportions.
Puangpee, often in collaboration with her partner Chindanai Rikakorn, brings to life contemporary photography pieces that deal with weighty subject matter like suicide, eating disorders, depression, gambling, identity, and more. The explosion of color that characterizes most of her work—inspired by Maurizio Di Iorio—is meant to draw attention to these issues while also making them easier to digest (no pun intended). Although her work may fit into many categories, she’s happy to avoid being pigeonholed: “I softly tell myself that it’s okay to be nothing and everything, as long as I trust in myself and my work.” She started working in this style in 2021 while studying commercial photography but has been shooting photographs since childhood.
Puangpee’s most recent series “FACT Check” (which we’ve premiered a couple of photos of here) tapers back the kaleidoscopic use of color a bit while maintaining the intensity of saturation. In collaboration with Rikakorn, they focus mainly on food, per usual, as a way to discuss identity. In one, a pair of hands open a fortune cookie that reads, “You Are Asian.” In another, instant noodles are used as stamps. She hopes to make viewers question the stereotypes and biases associated with being Asian and reflect on exaggerated or mistaken beliefs about how they’re expected to act.
This interest in food began with Puangpee’s first project, “Toxic Meal,” which used materials such as hair, chalk, and nails to create fake meals as a way to discuss eating disorders and over-processed foods. “The quote, ‘You are what you eat,’ really hits home. But what truly influences our choices?” she asks. The series begins with the disorder of pica, where people have a craving to eat non-edible objects like toys or paint, but it expands onto the definition of what food actually is. Is the soft drink made of 40 percent sugar really food? How about that below-dog-grade meat in your fast food? And why are these foods often the cheapest options, leaving the most vulnerable most likely to consume them at unhealthy levels?
Puangpee also tackles the widespread embrace of gambling in Thailand with “Last Hope.” She says that the lengths people will go to win the lottery can be debilitating, looking for lucky numbers in everything they see. To challenge this, she depicts a collection of dainty hands all circling a vase similarly, but when viewed through cute, heart-shaped glasses, a different scene unfolds. While one hand is covered in painful thumbtack pricks, another hand is safely sheathed in a shiny glove avoiding the same pain. Who’s more likely to win?
The most difficult of Puangpee’s series is definitely “Calm Scene,” which was another collaboration with Rikakorn. Despite the graphic nature of these photos, which feature dangling feet and blood-matted hair, they remain cheerful and inquisitive. “Talking about and preparing for death might help raise awareness, not only about the lives of those close to us, but also our own,” she says. To ease us into discussing an issue we must all face—whether the result of natural causes or from a victim’s own hand—they wield candy-colored hair, bedazzled gloves, Dorothy-red shoes, and flower patterns. Although it’s fun and comical, the message is clear: everyone faces death at least once in their life, and suicide is a common cause of it. It’s better to be prepared for it than to act like it can’t happen.
