AR:
In ten years, do you think that there will be any increase of private sponsorship for the arts in Thailand?

SC:
No.

AR:
How do you perceive the situation regarding private sponsoring in Thailand?

SC:
I really have no ideas about sponsorship in my country but I am just thinking that private sponsorship will be developing more when we will have a stable government. When we are in the position that we have money or politically/financially stable situation then people will take a look at our art works. So, when people are wealthy, this might raise more private sponsorship.

AR:
As far as I know there is no or hardly any public funding for contemporary experimental arts in Thailand. Do you expect this situation to change, let’s say in the course of the next ten years?

SC:
I have never expected public art funding in my country because my country is still in the position of being a developing country. “Art“ is quite so “too far out“ for a developing country. I could imagine that the situation will not be changing much in the ten years to come. This comes from my own experince. During the last ten years that have gone by, I have never gotten any suppport from my own country or even have gotten involved in the art scene/directory in my own country. And also, I have noticed that in developped/rich countries that right now the situation regarding financial support means that it is being cut down. Many of my plans/projects that I was invited with by big institutes – such as large scale museums/galleries – could not be realized because they found their budgets cut down.

AR:
Which kind of job/s are you holding to make money or how can you generate income in addition to your art production?

SC:
I am just thinking if I had other income it might help me to feel more comfortable/confident and it would introduce much more security in my life. If I got a lot of income it might mean something both for myself and for supporting other people, too. However, for a long time I have not been doing any other job than creating my art works!

AR:
Do you live from your art production as main occupation?

SC:
Yes, I do.

AR:
Do you need other income than that coming from your art production to make a living?

SC:
Yes, I do. But it is always in the arts field.

AR:
Which function/s would you ascribe to yourself as an artist in Thailand?

SC:
Right now, I am still a single male person and do not need to worry about many other things. This is a very good time for me to concentrate on art works but one day, I might have a family like other “normal” people, have more responsibilities, lot of pressure and might not be able of easily moving in and out like now. Currently, I am always on the move from one place to another place as I always go travelling to many countries all over the world, on the basis of “invitations“. My travelling is so meaningful to me, both for my knowledge and experiences (My travelling to me is like visiting the Utopia Stations, each of the Stations to me is like one of the Utopia Laboratory Stations where I can realize my wishes come true, one by one, from one to the next more and more.).

For me, my attitude towards artists and “normal” people does not differ too much. As far as my ordinary day life is concerned, in some ways I am kind of normal as well (My look/character does not look like an artist’s one, I just look like normal people.).

The difference is just the way of working and the way of thinking. However, regarding how people look at me, especially when I am living in my own country region, I am quite and very different from the neighbourhood. I could spend time on my own for the whole day, for months and years to think and create art works, without going anywhere else and being like the “Monk“. However, this kind of profession/what I am doing is very different from my neighbourhood/country. Mostly, people in my country – they work in regular jobs and try hard to get as much money as possible (buy the luxury car or bought the land and housing). They get up very early in the moning, spend their time with their own children/family and go out shopping in the holidays. People are so very surprised about what I am doing: What is it about Art? How can I survive/make a living with Art?

AR:
Where do you mainly live, as far as I know you travel a lot, where is your primary residency?

SC:
No Primary Residency. However, let’s say I am a Thai Citizen, so I might have to go back to settle down in my own county (Or somewhere else – if I find some good place, a place that is good for me to permanently live there.).

AR:
Which role would you define for yourself? As an artist, what would you define as your task/s?

SC:
To tell you the truth, right now it is not very hard for me to have invitations/get offers for exhibitions – if I compare it with a decade ago. This does not mean that I am a big artist/star but I let people take a look at my quality/qualifications and experiences.

I am just a little Asian artist guy that has no back up from anyone or who would have a lot of power like the mafia in the art world.

I never have gotten to be represented or appear in any kind of artist directory/representations in my own country. But I still survive and I am still going on with my art projects. Because I believe in and I am honest with myself and I always work hard and harder, all the time.

Of course, for the very big international institutional/museum world – they still have their own systems. These I cannot reach according to their qualification standards or I might not mean anything at all for them. This might be a about the nation factor, connections, etc.

However, I really enjoy and feel happy about the way how and what I am doing and all about this is not a big task for me.

But the big task for me is about the “money“ to be able to do what I really want to do. Several invitations had to collapse/I had to skip them. Because of the money/financial support “issue“.

If I was born as or being another citizen I think my conditions for sure would be comfortable (Over the last decade, I have been working a lot outside and got a lot of support from other countries.).

A long, long time ago, during the time when I was a student and after having finished the art university, I really was against that/had a conflict regarding whether art should be something that is free and by any means has no need to be competitive. I was thinking that “Art“ is about “Life“. In fact …, nowadays I have come to realize that the “art world“ is something about the “business“ and “nation“, to be a good artist is not enough, there are several factors to be crossed/to be a successful artist.

AR:
In your opinion, which role does a contemporary artist have in the social society you live in?

SC:
If being an artist means to create realms of freedom, I think the artist has the responsibility to bring something that is so very “special“ that other – so called “normal” – people could not create. I mean, usually the vast majority of such “normal” people all the time is concerned about work and money as their sole purpose for life and it is hard for them to find their own time to create art works (Nowadays, art is not something about skills only.).

I am not a political artist but at least I could bring some kind of peaceful additude, beautiful things/thinking and pure feelings to the audience.

The contemporary artist is as meaningful as much she/he is honest with him-/herself. Let the true and factual in our senses be realized and bring it out to the art world. No need to follow theories, copies or to act under any system, be it an art system or not.

Right now, my work is pretty much more a bit of a large scale project and I am working as an installation artist (For an Asian country, installation art is too far-reaching and the local/regional art market is not ready for it.). That means … it is double, twice of hard work. Since, making installation art means to create exhibition projects/exhibitions. It always means to be concerned/fascinated by the financial realms, space and the profile of a collection. For all partners involved, this is not easy – nor is it easy to realize an installation, to make it happen, nor is it easy for the art market.

However, all the facts/problems are not something that can stop me doing what I am doing. I still enjoy creating large scale installation art projects. If the museums/galleries/institutes could establish a collection of my works, I would feel very happy. If not I am OK as well, at least I can see my statement of my mind be realized and happen and I will enjoy it very much and be very happy with myself. Especially when being in the position of being a “free” artist and not being a slave of or being conditioned by any art trend, fashion, art systems and institutes.

AR:
Why would you not apply a term like vocation as a motivational factor to produce art? Could you explain this a bit more?

SC:
In my opinion, if you want to be a serious/professional artist (if you do not really have backbone/backup who can put you in the right way except you yourself?) and however the situation is, whether it is good or bad you have to go on in your own way.

From my experiences and thinking, to be a good and great artist it is about “long run” (time and experiences) and when we are talking about “long run” it always is connected with making a “brand name”. That – I was thinking – is the truth in the system of the international art world. We (artists) cannot deny that this is a part of the fact that we are defined as artists. We have to accept it, even if we do not think about business/a brand name. But in the real world/international art world none of the people really being involved will do the job or work just for “free” or work for something like “art for life/art for the art’s sake”, without any kind of benefit whatever it might be.

AR:
Do you perceive art production as a profession or as a vocation or would you define the artist in a different way?

SC:
I perceive the production of art as a profession, I do not perceive it as vocation.