Silaphan's practice examines notions of globalisation, mass consumerism and the universal reach of cultural icons around the world. He primarily uses old metal advertising signs & vintage Coca Cola crates as his canvas, and in doing so, creates a fresh interpretation of Pop Art, and opens a discourse with the viewer on the effects of advertising and mass consumption on society.
Silaphan's practice examines notions of globalisation, mass consumerism and the universal reach of cultural icons around the world. He primarily uses old metal advertising signs & vintage Coca Cola crates as his canvas, and in doing so, creates a fresh interpretation of Pop Art, and opens a discourse with the viewer on the effects of advertising and mass consumption on society.
Growing up in rural Thailand, the infiltration of western imagery and ideology, had a profound influence on Silaphan's understanding of the West and on his artistic practice. Using a wide selection of cultural icons, including Warhol, Dali, Monroe, Presley & Khalo, Pakpoom seamlessly blends their identities with the corporate identities of his crates and signs, highlighting a poignant juxtaposition between the two groups. He also creates an engaging dialogue between the relationship between East and West, and the universal language of signs and symbols as branding, which over time has been imprinted onto the universal collective consciousness.
Pakpoom Silaphan was born in 1972 in Bangkok, Thailand. He received his BFA from Silapakorn University in Bangkok before moving to England in 2002 to study printmaking at Camberwell College of Art. He completed a Masters in Fine Art which he received from Chelsea College of Art and Design in 2004. Silaphan!s work has been placed in the Hiscox Collection, Sir Paul Smith!s collection and has been featured in the significant publication “For Which It Stands: Americana in Contemporary Art” by Carla Sakamoto, published by Farameh Media in 2012.
