Erasure Occurred, Memory Persists

Memory of Uncle Daeng

This body of work examines the “silent voice” of coastal fishing communities that are gradually fading from existence, represented through a symbolic figure I call Uncle Daeng. He is not a singular individual, but a conceptual stand-in for many lives being displaced under the forces of capitalism and the expansion of the tourism industry.

Through fragmented and non-linear photographic images depicting the sea, shorelines, and everyday objects, the work reflects a landscape that has lost its stability and is progressively dissolving. This process does not occur abruptly, but unfolds gradually, embedded within contemporary socioeconomic structures.

The sea, once a site of livelihood, continuity, and cultural relation, is increasingly subjected to intervention. Its rhythms are disrupted, its boundaries redefined, and its presence diminished into memory. These images therefore function not merely as representations of place, but as aesthetic residues of a way of life that is being quietly erased.

The illuminated frames operate as symbolic mediators of affect and existence. Yellow light signifies vitality warmth, labor, and persistence while blue light represents hope: fragile, yet enduring amid uncertainty.

Textual elements within the work, such as “Erasure occurred.”, “Memory persists.”, and “There’s nothing here, but I’m still here.”, do not function as oppositions, but as overlapping conditions. The disappearance of physical space is thus directly linked to the formation of mnemonic space, which emerges as the final territory resisting total erasure.

Within this silence, Uncle Daeng persists not as an individual subject, but as a conceptual presence. He remains as a trace of existence, even as the environmental and cultural conditions that once shaped him continue to fade.

Panu Suaysuwan (b. 1974, Chonburi, Thailand) is a Thai contemporary artist whose practice spans large-scale painting and mixed media works. He earned both his Bachelor’s (1997) and Master’s (2003) degrees in Fine Arts from Silpakorn University, Bangkok, and completed his Ph.D. in Fine and Applied Arts at Burapha University in 2015.In the same year, he was selected as one of ten Thai artists by the Department of Contemporary Arts Promotion, Ministry of Culture, to represent Thailand in an international exhibition in Los Angeles, USA.

Panu has showcased his works in numerous national and international exhibitions. Notable shows include Primordial Consciousness (MOHO Gallery, Imagoars Venice, Italy, 2025); YICCA 2019 – International Contemporary Art Contest (Finalist Exhibition, Culturale di Milano, Italy, 2019); Beyond Boundary (The Queen Sirikit Art Museum, Thailand, 2018); Crossing the Dateline (Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, 2017); The 3rd Decade of Bualuang Painting (National Art Museum, Thailand, 2012); Incheon Global Art International (Korea, 2013); and Daejeon International Art Exhibition (Korea, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019). He has received several prestigious awards, including the Silver Medal in Contemporary Painting from Bangkok Bank; Juror’s Choice at the ASEAN Art Award (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia); First Prize from Phillip Morris Art Competition (Thailand); Second Prize at the Bring Good Things to Life Art Competition by Toshiba Thailand; Bronze Medals at the 47th and 51st National Art Competitions (Thailand); Silver Medal at the 49th National Art Competition (Thailand); and Second Prize in Contemporary Painting by Panasonic Thailand.

Panu Suaysuwan currently serves as a full-time lecturer in the Department of Creative Painting, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Burapha University, Thailand.

Assoc.Prof.Panu Suaysuwan (Ph.D.)

Art Lecturer, Faculty of Fine and Applied Art Burapha University

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