Photographer #449: Miti Ruangkritya

Miti Ruangkritya, 1981, Thailand, studied Photojournalism at the University of Westminster. His work is mainly documentary based yet he tries not to restrict himself in any way. He is currently working on an ongoing project that consists of a polaroid installation placed on the beach of Nongkhai in Thailand. A dining table displays the polaroids without placeholders, inviting the viewers to pick up the images and be involved. By adding mattresses and swimming rings he wants to create a relaxed atmosphere for the audience to enjoy the work outside of a typical gallery exhibition. In his series On the Edge he took a closer look at Siem Reap, a city he had visited in 1991 when there was only one hotel and one bar. Today the city has massively exploded in size consisting of 5 star hotels, restaurants and bars. Miti viewed the city from a distance "from the vantage point of someone approaching (or perhaps momentarily escaping) the city." His work has been exhibited in London, Paris and Thailand and his portfolio will be featured in the May 2012 edition of the British Journal of Photography. The following images come from the series Imagining Flood, Northern Route and On the Edge.

Website: www.mi-ti.com

Photographer #137: Manit Sriwanichpoom

Manit Sriwanichpoom, 1961, Thailand, is a photographer as much as an activist. He got international recognition for his series This Bloodless War in 1997. Iconic images were re-enacted and the issue of consumerism was added. In 1997 Manit also invented the Pink Man and has since then never stopped making series about the Pink Man. This man in a pink suit has become the icon for consumerism, walking around as a robot with a shopping cart. It is impressive to see the entire body of work of the Pink Man. The following images come from Horror in Pink 2001, Ordinary Extraordinary and Thailand, Masters.

Websites: www.rama9art.org & www.agencevu.com