Born in 1957 in Nakhorn Sawan, Thailand, Vasan Sitthiket graduated from the College of Fine Art in Bangkok. Sitthiket’s works confront the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy as well as the corruption present in politics. He explores his ideas through paintings, drawings, woodcut prints, installations and performances. Sitthiket has participated in various exhibitions abroad and represented Thailand at the Venice Biennale in 2003.‘Committing Suicide Culture: The Only Way Thai Farmers Escape Debt’ is bold as it presents a social problem in an unapologetic and confrontational stance. Here, the cause of suicides is blamed on bad credit, a phenomenon not unusual amongst farmers in developing countries, including Thailand, who, in today’s capitalist climate, have to pay a high price for unpredictable returns. The plight of farmers is a subject that is very close and personal to Sitthiket as he comes from a lineage of farmers.
