ARTIST STATEMENT
Since childhood, Phannapast has avoided her sensitive side and kept her feelings to herself, believing those who loved her would understand her emotions wordlessly. Over time, communicating her feelings became challenging, and she turned to art for self-expression. Though she is learning to express herself in other ways, creative acts continue to be the way she shares what’s inside her heart.
In this series, Phannapast faces long-hidden feelings, and continues to parse the difference between imagination, which projects fears from the past, and gut instinct, which has become her guide through fear and uncertainty. The connection between imagination and instinct, according to Phannapast, is like the light and shadow of the moon phases. If they are out of sync, she experiences anxiety and paralysis. When they are in harmony, she is able to embrace the passage of time and move forwards
To understand her feelings, Phannapast must not only recognize them but observe their behavior and where they reside within her. Though they appear to float aimlessly, they must be given a place to call home.
Each piece in this exhibition is like a vessel filled with water that she has prepared. The reflections upon its surface allow her to understand her emotions: how they live, speak, and send signals. There, she also sees the light and shadow of her memories within the flood of thoughts that shape who she is. These pieces bring clarity to her layered emotions, mobilize her imagination to understand the workings of her instinct, and have given her time to work with compassion and insight.
