Udomsak Krisanamis presents pop-inflected collage-paintings at Neugerriemschneider Berlin exhibition

Thai artist Udomsak Krisanamis presents his first exhibition with Neugerriemschneider in Berlin, running from 11 September to 9 November 2024. The show features 14 paintings that continue his signature approach blending abstraction with information systems, rooted in his experience learning English through American newspapers after arriving at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1991. Works like 'Light My Way' (2024) display tactile black stripes dotted with white, divided by wavering lines that suggest organic textures, while 'Too Fast to Handle' (2023) incorporates heavyweight packing tape with jagged contours reminiscent of Clyfford Still. Krisanamis's practice maintains a tension between modernist aesthetics and everyday reality, using materials like newsprint, numbers, and commercial warnings. In 'I Wish I Knew' (2024), he paints black ovals on an art transit case, referencing Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, with stencilled phrases like 'POCAHONTAS + ZARATHUSTRA'. The back room extends this hybrid approach with Warhol-ish silver wall drapes, suspended lamps, hand-painted checkers sets on German beer crates, and tickertape paintings on rumpled walls, creating a bar-like atmosphere. His work reflects immigrant adaptation through language manipulation and material innovation, avoiding pure formalism by engaging with globalized cultural references.