A slap in the eye

The artist tried to depict the realities wherein young people finally realise the true history of Thailand which is basically the opposite of what they all have learnt at school. The textbooks mainly focus on the "triumphant" pages of the Thai history, while the 1976 student massacre in Thailand, the 1975-1979 Cambodian genocide or even the genocide by the Nazis are all largely missing in the compulsory education.

The bright colours and dancing shapes of the artist's artwork evoke the innocence and energy from Henri Matisse's cut-out works. She used the striking image of flowers coming out from a girl's eye to accentuate the fact that the dictators can no longer cover their eyes with the help of social media and other sources of information.

Juli Baker and Summer / Chanaradee Chatrakul na Ayudhya

Vibrant, powerful, youthful energy permeates Juli Baker and Summer’s canvases. The use of bright colours and fluid lines creates a sense of vibration, as if one can hear exuberant music notes accompanying the movement of the characters or subjects. The visual composition resembles collage, even one done under Matisse’s hands.

Underneath the child-like surface of colourful composition lies strong socio-political statements. The emotional intensity brought forth by the colourful composition rightly echo the significance of the topics at hand. As a Thai artist residing amid on-going political movement, Juli Baker and Summer portrays symbols of the pro-democracy movement with her interpretation and personal experiences.

Graduated from Chulalongkorn University with a degree in fashion, Juli started her artist career under the nom de plume Juli Baker and Summer in 2015. Her works often take inspiration from people, music, literature, films, everyday-life conversations and travelling. She is active in the Thai art scene, famous for her bright and cheerful art style. She has been featured in interviews with the F Word Asia Art Magazine, Lifestyle Asia, Mimosa Stories and Kooper.

Based on our agreement with the artist, 35% of the pre-VAT price excluding frames will be donated to support the social movement. Donation will be given to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.