Kritsana Naowakhun’s passion for 16th and 18th-century works of art along with a newfound dedication to his personal health-inspired his latest creation for the igNIGHT temporary public art exhibition.
Naowakhun has been producing pieces for igNIGHT for the past four years. Garden of Eden takes inspiration from the Bible and twists it slightly by utilizing light combined with plastic fruits and vegetables to create the shapes of Adam and Eve. Naowakhun said that working on the piece made him reflect about his own journey with personal health.
“I used to be a person who was smoking and partying and didn’t care about my health at all,” said Naowakhun. “Now I’m taking care of another life, my child’s life, and I realized if I don’t take care of myself I can’t take care of a little life. You are what you eat, I changed my habits and I run every day. I feel happy and strong and able to take care of other people.”
Artists for the exhibition cover themes varying from food security, food processes and the global impacts of the food chain. Calgary husband and wife artists Kevin Chow and Jamie Mason, who partner under the name Rawry and Pohly, used a childlike lens to produce characters that showcase Chinese culture through traditional fruits and vegetables. The interactive piece also uses QR codes to highlight stories for each individual character. Chow said that Calgary’s Fuse33 makerspace was incredibly helpful to the production.
