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By La-Orng Davies
Set atop the headland of Kata Bay between two of the most beautiful
sandy beaches on Phuket, Mom Tri’s Villa Royale has the choicest
location. Nestled in luxurious terraced gardens that spill doNestled
away in a row of houses in a quiet neighbourhood on the outskirts
of Bangkok, is the captivating home studio of painter and sculptor,
Verachan Usahanun or 'Chan' for short.
Chan is a rebel with a cause; he denounces limitations and questions
society's self-imposed boundaries. His loose fitting clothes, shaven
head and choice of words gives him an aura of serene confidence
as we sit among his fantastic drawings, paintings and sculptures
that adorn every imaginable crevice and shelf in this cozy townhouse.
Even the toilet has a self-portrait on the seat. Chan shares his
home with his wife, Bharawatee, 5 beautiful Persian cats and an
aged Thai dog. Anyone entering the world of Verachan and his art
is challenged to contemplate their own values and outlook on life.
Chan is a straight talker; he stands for the truth and just wants
to tell it how it is. Well known for his exotic fantasy art in Austria,
where he spent a decade of his adult life, initially as a student,
Chan has now resettled in Thailand, on a mission to change the average
Thai person's attitude towards art and ultimately, individual expression.
I was lucky enough to catch him for an interview 'between jobs'.
Having just completed a magnificent 4.20 by 3.20-metre, three-dimensional
sculptured mural commissioned by a local businessman. Chan is now
taking a well-earned break after over two years continuous work
on this one piece. The term 'Heavy Metal Artist' came up in our
conversation as we discussed the hard-hitting style of his work
and what, if any, brand his art work should be known as.
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Your work is at times erotic and can sometimes have some shock
value, what kinds of people are coming to you to have their fantasy
portrait done?
Most of my clients are professional people like doctors, Professors
and Businessmen who have seen my work and have a curiosity to know
how an outsider might interpret their life through a fantasy portrait.
Yes, my work is sometimes erotic but not just for the sake of it.
When illustrating the lives of my subjects, sex and desire is very
often a part of the bigger picture, which needs to be included in
the portrait.
I only know what the client tells me about themselves so the story
that is told in the painting is never really a surprise to them
but what I actually choose to show and the way I show it can sometimes
shock them. I might pick up on a small detail of their life and
they can be surprised at its significance. Details like this are
always discussed in the early stages with my client so if there's
something they really don't like, it can be left out. These kinds
of details can also make the client decide whether they will exhibit
their painting publicly or privately.
Your portraits are extremely detailed and obviously involve a lot
of planning, what are the stages in creating one of your commissioned
paintings?
Once I've spent time with my subject and they've told me things
about themselves, I catch things they say about their aspirations,
dreams, desires and fears. The things that grab my attention will
be incorporated into the portrait somehow. As I get to know them
more, an image of the portrait starts to form in my head. There'll
always a piece of me represented in the work too, it might not be
immediately obvious though. For example, the piece I'm working on
now has a snarling tiger in it. This is actually modeled on one
of my cats.
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I'll do some initial rough sketches and show them to the client
to make sure they are fully aware of what their painting will contain
and why. Once that's agreed, I start working on the full size sketch
which will have the same dimensions and details as the final piece.
Before I even start drawing the sketch though, it's already complete.
I can see the finished product in my mind. I know where everything
will be and how it will look. The rest of the process is down to
technique.
How long can the whole process usually take?
I usually spend a few weeks getting to know my client then I'll
start on the sketch. That usually takes two to four weeks and then
the actual painting, depending on the size, can take from six months
to 3 years. It's impossible to be specific about exactly when the
portrait will be finished and I ask my clients to understand that
if they want me to produce a piece that is true to them (and me)
they must not push me to be finished by a particular time. I don't
take longer than necessary though; I want to see the end result
just as much as my client and I can give a rough estimate of how
long it will take based on experience.
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A lot of your portraits have the subject intertwined with animals
or with animals growing out of them, are you representing the animal
traits of that person?
No, not really. What I'm saying is, that we have to share this world
with all the other creatures. We must always bear in mind that we
don't own it, we just think we do. Animals, just like us, have souls,
think about things, know fear and feel pain. I want people to look
at my paintings and think about that. Perhaps I sometimes see a
trait in the subject that I can relate to an animal but mostly,
I want to show that people are inseparable from animals, that's
all we are after all, another kind of animal.
After your stay in Vienna, what European influences have you brought
into your art?
My art, like the experiences in my life, doesn't differentiate between
western, Asian or any other culture. For me, my time in Vienna taught
me that no matter which country we are from or what colour our skin,
we are all just people and we all have to deal with the same kind
of problems. We also, all have the right to express ourselves; we
should all be free to do that. When I was living in Vienna, I had
my studio set up in a lovely house in a quiet little village. All
my neighbours would rush off to work at 6 or 7 in the morning and
I'd get up around ten - ten thirty and start work on whatever project
I was doing.
Out there the winters were very cold, even for the locals. They'd
all cut up their firewood in the late summer or autumn, ready for
the winter. I was always too engrossed in my work to care about
sawing wood so when it came to winter and I wanted a fire, I had
to walk out to the bitter cold and find some wood to cut up. I stayed
there ten years and I'd do the same thing year after year. Some
of the locals thought I was just a stupid Thai and couldn't get
it into my head that I should chop wood in the summer before it
got too cold to hold a saw properly! It wasn't anything to do with
being Thai or not remembering though, I was just exercising my right
to set my own agenda and I felt that dealing with the consequences
of my choice was therapeutic. When I work on something, I 'jump
in' to the painting, it surrounds me and I think about all the things
that make that person who they are. Once I'm in, I don't come out
for a while, not even to cut firewood!
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Has your work gone through stages that you can define and how would
you describe your style?
Yes, my work has gone through stages but I couldn't give you labels
for them. I've experimented with different kinds of materials and
surfaces in both my sculptures and paintings. Right now, I'm using
wood as my medium. I've never tried to say that my work is attached
to any specific style, it's just my own style, just like the other
artists who have their own styles. For example, if you said 'surrealism'
I'd find that definition too…tight. I suppose fantasy art is the
best term I can think of because it's broad enough to generally
cover what I do.
Your latest project is here in front of us on the easel, the whole
picture is already outlined in pencil and about a third has been
drawn in more detail. So far, 3 Elephant heads and trunks along
with a number of human arms and intricately drawn hands in various
gestures have taken shape. The subject is in a crouch with powerful
looking legs.
This is my version of Ganesh, the Hindu icon with elephant heads
and a human body. Ganesh represents the attributes of greatness
and success. To me, Ganesh is not a god to be worshipped as such
but represents the rules for a successful life. It is said that
Ganesh has many disguises because it is up to the individual how
they see him. So Ganesh will look different depending on what aspects
of Ganesh the artist wants to show. You see the different expressions
on each of the elephant heads? These are representing the rules
by which we should lead our lives if we are to be successful or
make something great.
The one on the left has his mouth closed and he's clutching his
trunk, he's stopping himself from talking, resisting the temptation
to tell everyone what he thinks or believes in. We should remember
that by doing so, we might disturb others. Instead, one should be
spending more time thinking, which is what the second head represents
with the temple resting on a fist in a gesture of thought and concentration.
The third is listening; staying aware and keeping your finger on
the pulse of what's going on around you. You can also see one of
the three pairs of hands in a position that represents playing the
guitar. Although there is no guitar in the picture, I want to show
that our actions must be coordinated to ensure success. So, if you
want to be successful you have to shut up, listen, think and act
coherently. This is a rule for life, it's not religion, it's just
the way it is and that's what Ganesh is showing us. What I think
about though is, 'who created Ganesh, who does or what does he worship?'
So you don't do more than one project at a time?
No, I tried it once but it didn't work. Once I jump in to something,
I'll stay focused on that until it's finished. Only then can I properly
focus on the next project.
To finish up, is there one statement that you'd like to make to
the world?
Unity. I wish borders and religions could vanish and we would all
learn to live in peace. That's the message I'm trying to get across
in my art. If I could choose a time to live my life again, I'd chose
either hundreds of years ago or hundreds of years in the future
when the world population has reached some sort of equilibrium and
we are able to live peacefully together. Right now, there are so
many problems in the world caused by humans and our race to 'develop'.
If, through my art, I can get people to stop and think about their
place in the world and the consequences of our actions, then I've
done my job.
Verachan's latest multi-dimensional creation is open to the public
from December 2003 onwards in the private museum of UCOM Building,
Vipawadee Rangsit Rd, Chatuchak, Bangkok.
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