Using allegory to draw references to Thai realities, Sakarin Krue-On’s remake of the famous Thai folktale Manorah follows the story of a half-maiden and half-swan heavenly being and her journeys ensuing from being kidnapped by a hunter, and falling in love with the prince on Panjalanakhon. Her celestial wings become the subject of the myth. After she shares her secret gift of flying with the prince, many others in the kingdom too, covet the ability, and soon, the kingdom is wrought in pandemonium. Sakarin Krue-On’s film can be read in the context of Thailand’s social and political climate recent public protest, where the pursuit of freedom, or democracy, can result in unwanted violence. A work imbued with various meanings with its rich potential symbolisms, the film can be seen as critical vehicle that opens discourse on the country’s complex social and political situation. Born in 1965 in the northern Thai province of Maehongsorn, Sakarin graduated from Silapakorn University in Thailand. His past solo exhibitions include Cloud Nine at 100 Tonson Gallery in Bangkok (2004) and Yellow Simple at Open Arts Space in Bangkok (2001), and other notable exhibitions in the international arena includes his participation in the Venice Biennale in 2002 and 2009, as well as Documenta 12 in 2007.
