“In the photographic series Sunken Water Gardens สวนใต้น้ำ, I explore my Thai heritage and ancestral mythology, drawing from the Buddhist cosmology of Traiphum, the Three Worlds, encompassing the celestial (heavenly), the terrestrial (earthly), and the infernal (underworld). These ethereal underwater still-life landscapes intertwine plants, flowers, and fish to create tranquil, meditative scenes that reflect my preoccupation with the natural world while connecting to cultural memory. Offerings of flowers and water become gestures linking the living with the divine.

“My connection to this lineage exists through fragments, including vignettes, family stories, fabrics passed down, old photographs, and the memory of my grandmother wearing traditional Thai dress, all traces of another world that feels both close and unreachable. I have always felt a detachment from my Thai heritage, yet I see it reflected in the way my mother looks and in gestures that feel familiar. I am deeply curious about what has been carried across generations, the weight of trauma and nostalgia, the silences, the absences, and the things never spoken but deeply felt. Through my underwater still-life photography, I explore the intersection of these cultural identities, blending traditional Thai symbolism with contemporary artistic expression.

“In Sunken Water Gardens สวนใต้น้ำ beauty and impermanence coexist between transient realms. In these underwater worlds, time slows, and stillness encourages dialogue with nature, history, and spirit.”