Black Stupa

Montien Boonma, Black Stupa, 1989, mixed media on paper, 454 x 198 cm, collection of National Heritage Board

Black Stupa comprises five panels. These are mounted in the same manner as the stacking of bricks for the building of actual stupas. Montien has taken humble materials familiar to most rural communities, and reconstituted them to form one of the most holy objects in Buddhism – the stupa. The basic shape of a stupa follows one of the oldest and most sacred forms in Southeast Asia, that of Mount Meru, the centre of the cosmic universe and home of the gods in Hindu mythology. Stupas, originally meant to house the relics of Buddha and his scriptures, are generally used today for holding ashes of respected Buddhist monks or individuals.

Boonma studied at Poh Chang and graduated from Silpakorn University with a Master of Fine Arts. He later furthered his studies in France at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts, Paris and the Universite de Paris VIII, Faculte des Arts Plastiques, Saint-Denis. Montien explored the use of Thai materials, and examined their forms, colours, textures, odours and functions in society. As a Buddhist, he was interested in the potential transformation of such materials. Soil, mashed paper, charcoal, flour and rice – all things change and take on different forms, even the inanimate substances that make up this work.