In Topography, Tada Hengsapkul ideates the wind as an analogy for speech, imagining the ripples of discourse and rebellion against censorship. Dispersing across a panoramic grid of paper coins is his signature smoke bomb technique, which he first devised as an artistic medium after witnessing its deployment in youth protests, emblemizing the explosive as a token of civil disobedience. Made to react to wind, the work flickers in constant movement, shifting its surface each time it is viewed. The resulting experience holds the intimate intensity of a whisper, enabling the possibility of unassuming transformation.
Using art as a form of nonviolent action, Hengsapkul’s practice forms an act of alliance, quietly countering institutional retaliation. His works ultimately extend beyond their roots in Thailand and its history, maintaining universal relevance in a contemporary landscape where censorship and omission are becoming increasingly rampant.
(Edited from excerpts provided by Nova Contemporary)