Eentering mana pools, we are welcomed by a few words from the artist, Virakone Sonethasack, printed on the wall. And this fourth-year exhibition at the Gales Gallery may be the best one yet
The curatorial thesis of the exhibit is explained to be based around the concept of mana, a source of internal energy that, when focused, can manipulate one’s perception of their conscious and physical reality.
Sonethasack achieves this in his work by presenting simple scenes of nature, but captured and presented in a way that destabilizes our traditional methods of perception.
The most pronounced technique used by Sonethasack is his presentation of photos printed on transparent plexiglass, with some pieces featuring the same image layered by several such sheets of glass. Mounted just far enough from the wall that the pictures are further duplicated by the shadow they casts, this creates an almost stereoscopic effect and gives the pieces significant depth.
Sonethasack captures scenes of nature not just with a camera. Perhaps the part of the exhibit is the still untitled series of chine-collé tree bark rubbings presented on rice paper. Capturing the texture of several different barks of tree, when looked at closer, a face seems to appear from the vague and seemingly random contours of the bark. True to the exhibit’s thesis, by the end you find yourself going over each piece several times to try different perspectives and ways of viewing them.
In the aforementioned opening words from Sonethasack, he mentions the Japanese term Shinkankakuha, which could also work as a secondary title for the exhibit. While there is no exact English translation, it is generally accepted to mean neo-impressionism, neo-sensations, and neo-perceptions. Overall, it is a new way at looking and experiencing things.
In the final word from the artist, he asks a question of the exhibit’s patrons that accurately captures the essence of his work:
“What do you see?”
Issei Ellis
Contributor
