Born in 1964 in Philadelphia, USA, Michael Shaowanasai received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the San Francisco Art Institute and a Masters of Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Based in Bangkok, he is a multidisciplinary artist whose work encompasses film, performance, photography and installation.‘Four Faces of Faith: A Girl in Rose Blouse’ looks at women in religion. Representing the four major faiths, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, these heavily made-up women, with false eyelashes and long hair played by Shaowanasai himself, hint at female subjugation in religion and how they are controlled by patriarchal systems. Although this depiction engages the audience in the context of religiosity, it also suggests that women are both victims and temptresses as is commonly found throughout various religious narratives. Shaowanasai’s manufactured interpretations reveal the imposition of ideals and pressures that women have to navigate on a daily basis as individuals, mothers, wives and daughters.
