Desirable and Undesirable Series (2003)- Thawan Duchanee (Copy)

Thawan Duchanee — Desirable and Undesirable Series (2003)

Oil and gold leaf on canvas, 200 × 150 cm — Museum of Contemporary Art, Bangkok

National Artist of Thailand (2001), Thawan Duchanee remains one of the most commanding and spiritually complex figures in Asian art. His paintings are not simply visual works — they are living forces. Every line, every curve, feels charged with cosmic energy, as if drawn from the very pulse of the universe.

“From the perspective of Buddhist philosophy, Vibhava-tanha is the desire to annihilate or eliminate what is disliked, unwanted, or to bring something to extinction such as the wish to escape suffering, or the longing not to be reborn in the cycle of samsara. In its abstract sense, it signifies the inner drive born of rejection toward what exists, and the will to avoid or destroy any given situation. In Desirable and Undesirable Series, the artist employs predatory animals and cosmic phenomena (constellations, lightning) as metaphors for the conflict and struggle between Bhava-tanhã and Vibhava-tanhã. Bhava-tanhã is portrayed in the image of a leopard leaping into the sky to claim the stars — a symbol of striving toward what is desired. Vibhava-tanha appears in the image of a tiger plunging down to bite the earth — a symbol of destroying what one does not wish to remain. Both forces circle endlessly within the cycle of arising and ceasing, mirroring the desires and aversions that shape human existence.”

When I look at this painting, I feel something almost physical — a surge of energy, tension, and sacred chaos. It’s as if the air itself is moving. The creatures twist and collide in a cosmic dance, each one both predator and protector. The gold burns through the darkness like divine fire, illuminating desire and destruction at once.

There’s something hypnotic about the way the forms seem to dissolve into clouds — a storm of instinct, devotion, and fear.
I see strength here, but also surrender. It’s a reminder that creation and annihilation are bound together — that we rise and fall through the same act of wanting.

“The Dharma of Zen Buddhism is to control the spirit.
I can control and confine currents of energy in a limited space, taking not more than 20 seconds. The strokes executed instantly, quickly.”
— Thawan Duchanee, 2004

For me, this piece isn’t just about power. It’s about the weight of being alive — the constant motion between what we long for and what we try to escape.
The painting feels like a mirror held up to the soul, catching that wild, shifting space between hunger and peace.

And you?
What do you feel when you stand before this tempest of gold and shadow?