25 November - 12 December 2021
about the exhibition
Somchai Charoen is a Thai-born artist living and working in Sydney who specialises in slip-cast ceramics. An imaginative practitioner, Somchai’s recent work has explored intriguing concepts such the imagined interiors, sounds and textures of mountains and the landscapes that contain them. In this new body of work, titled ‘Growth’, Somchai celebrates the elegance and beauty of the flower. Each of these sculptures have three, interlocking pieces that represent the roots, stem and blossom of the flower. Inspired by the resilient flowers that push through the cracks in urban footpaths, this work is a reminder to pause and appreciate the beauty in our everyday surrounding.
Somchai was born in Thailand in the 1960s and moved to Australia in 2001. Trained in industrial ceramic design, he was a former lecturer at Silpakorn University in Bangkok. Since migrating to Australia, Somchai has worked commercially as a mould and model maker, enabling him to establish his ceramic homeware label. Somchai is the co-founder of Belmore ITCH, a creative residency for non-ceramic artists to experiment, explore and interpret the medium. He has exhibited widely in both Australia and overseas.
