BEAUTY SUIT COLLECTIVE
The Beauty Suit artists collective was founded in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The collective’s modus operandi was collaboration between artists or with non-artists. The first Beauty Suit exhibition was held at the Chiang Mai University Art Museum in 2003. The collective comprised 12 artists from 3 countries: Boondarik Sukhaboon, Chakkrit Chimnok, Estelle Cohenny, Katherine Olston, Mattanee Widhayapond, Ratchanok Kateboonruang, Santiphap Inkong-ngam, and Tanyakorn Jaisamak.
Beauty Suit believed that by opening the collaborative and creative process to local communities to art becomes grounded in the cultural landscape.
The works of the collective explored Beauty through performance, fashion, installation, photographs, community workshops, video and sound works.
BEAUTY SUIT 2003
Performance Installation, Chiang Mai
Eat Yourself Happy
Installation
Eat Yourself Happy intended to lead the viewer through the conflicts between personal and social identities. The viewer moved and rotated through the installation space led by text hand written on the wall.
Materials: Copper wire, organza, drawings, wax, paper clay, chalk and text
Mirror Room
Performance with Boondarik Sukhaboon and Katherine Olston
Outside the lights are turned off and inside the pink plastic room a bright light is switched on. Four women crane their necks towards their own “private mirror” and begin to change their appearance…
150 x150 x175 cm closed box
Materials: wood, plastic sheeting, four two-way mirrors, black and white gouache, accessories.
Fortune sticks
Interactive Installation, with Katherine Olston
Fortune sticks are traditional feature inn Buddhist temples. While shaking the sticks, one hopes for a good omen. Advertising makes us believe that by buying whitening creams and eternal youth products our hopes for a better life and higher status will be fulfilled.
