In this work, the artist explores the cross-cultural interpretation of works of art, and the manner in which our reading of a given work is based, at least in part, on our understanding of various body gestures. As an art history professor living in a rural area of Thailand, she is interested in examining the reactions of local villagers to works of art that are considered canonical in Western culture.
As the film reveals, the Thai farmers interpret these artworks in a manner that is directly related to their own culture. Their analysis of paintings such as Millet’s The Gleaners, Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass, Van Gogh’s The Midday Sleep and Renoir’s Ball at the Moulin de la Galette differs greatly from the familiar interpretation of these works.

The body gestures depicted in these masterpieces, which are so easily decoded by Western viewers, gave rise to unexpected interpretations when presented to the Thai villagers. So, for instance, they wondered whether Renoir’s Ball at the Moulin de la Galette was a depiction of a funeral, whether the wagon in the background of Millet’s painting The Gleaners was being pulled by elephants, and whether the farmers in that painting were looking for bugs during the “dry season.” Their discussions of these works underscore the influence of our cultural upbringing on our interpretation of artworks.

born in 1957 Trad, Thailand ; Lives and works in Chiang Mai, Thailan

The video series Courtesy of Gimpel Fils, London

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