Born 1981, Nonthaburi, Thailand
Lives and works in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Paphonsak La-or's sharply realistic drawings, paintings and conceptual works offer acute critiques of Thai politics and history. His recent series 'Silent no more' 2014–15 features empty landscapes around Fukushima and Futaba in Japan, areas abandoned following the 2011 nuclear disasters. La-or viewed the terrain obsessively through Google maps and discovered a connection between his fascination with these quiet, uninhabitable landscapes and his frustration with the current political situation in Thailand. At the time, Thailand was experiencing a period of political instability, resulting in the military coup of May 2014. Finding similarity in the beautiful, lush landscapes of Japan and those around his hometown of Chiang Mai, La-or emphasises the contradictions between the apparently serene and peaceful scenes and the turbulent situations they represent. By placing texts rendered in dust below the images he further undermines their idyllic tranquillity.