Enduring Body explores the rumours and stories that revolve around the serial death of a group of elementary school teachers in a Thai countryside town. Events that seem unrelated spread like cancer cells, where an elementary school, a crocodile pond, cha-cha music and the afterlife become entangled.

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The work is inspired by an incident at my elementary school where a number of teachers died mysteriously one after another from cancer. I first heard about the story at a dinner with my relatives, so I think it created a kind of gossip in the town. To be honest, I didn’t have a good time in elementary school, especially with teachers. Some of them also died in this incident so I didn’t feel sad at all. The reason I am interested in using this story is mainly because it feels strange and mysterious (and with a little personal satisfaction). I always collect stories from different places, and in this work as well. I combine my teacher’s death with online gossip that no one can mention publicly in Thailand, which is treated as if it had never existed. Inevitably, cancer is a terrifying, powerful sickness but for me something much scarier is a body or structure that seems able to endure everything and anything no matter how painful.

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Enduring Body (ร่างทนทาน)
2019 / Digital, 1.85:1 / Colour / 27 minutes / o.v. Thai,English

 

Ukrit Sa-nguanhai (b.1990, Nakhon Pathom) is a Thai video artist and filmmaker, currently live and work in Chiang Mai, Thailand. His works have been screened in several film festivals and art exhibitions, including Sharjah Biennale, UAE (2013) and Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland (2019).

For more information please visit: https://ukrits.com/