Jakkai Siributr

About

Recognised for his intricately handmade tapestries, Jakkai Siributr’s quilts and installations deliver powerful responses to contemporary and historical societal issues in Thailand. Siributr examines unofficial narratives excluded from historical T hai accounts and explores the intersections of individual and regional histories. He creates a nuanced tension between his subject matter, ongoing conflicts fueled by nationalistic discrimination against marginalised groups, and the visual appeal of his chosen medium and materials. Siributr's exhibition at Flowers Gallery will also coincide with his first institutional UK exhibition, There’s no Place, taking place at The Whitworth. 

In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic that emerged in 2020, Siributr created a series of textile artworks, including Yellow Fever, White Plague, and Instagram @FlowersGallery Black Death, which address the acts of racism and discrimination exposed by the pandemic. During this period, Siributr utilised his art to support individuals who faced job losses due to the crisis. MM20 is assembled by stitching together uniforms gathered from service industry workers in Thailand, reflecting the artist’s sentiments towards authorities’ handling of the pandemic.

Thailand, largely dependent on tourism, experienced extended periods of economic stagnation, and the resulting widespread unemployment brought financial, physical, and psychological uncertainty. Uniforms from various tourism professions, rendered obsolete, were collected through monetary exchange as a way to assist those most economically impacted

Siributr explains that his work focuses on unheard voices and issues that are rarely discussed, as reflected in IDP Story Cloth (International Displaced Persons). This hand-embroidered installation addresses the plight of ethnic minority groups in Myanmar who migrate to Thailand to escape conflict in their homeland. The piece pays homage to these migrants through a sensory and immersive tapestry inspired by the story cloth embroidery of the Hmong Laos people, who emigrated to the United States in the 1970s. Their story cloth often depicts scenes of village life as well as their journey to escape the conflicts in their own country.