Monument of Hope - LOUD (Alex Face)

Alex Face — Monument of Hope (2021)

Acrylic on canvas — Museum of Contemporary Art, Bangkok

Alex Face, or Patcharapol Tangruen, is one of Thailand’s most recognized contemporary artists — known for his signature three-eyed child, a symbol of innocence lost in a complicated world.
In his Monument of Hope series, the artist captures the tension between stillness and rebirth — between the weight of everyday life and the longing to breathe freely again.

"In the dimness of the background and the character’s solemn expression resembling a pot, a variety of flowers bloom brightly. This piece subtly hides the story of anxiety during the lockdown periods amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the gloomy backdrop, the artist dots various colorful flowers to symbolize the unpredictability of life while simultaneously hinting at new thoughts budding among the younger generation in Thailand. This adds an intriguing dimension to the artwork."

When I look at this painting, I see a child who wants to move — but can’t. As if the heaviness of the pandemic had turned them into wood. The body is still, yet inside, life keeps pulsing. The flowers growing from the head feel like dreams, thoughts, and desires — bright, joyful, and quietly rebellious against immobility.

And the butterflies?
They’re symbols of connection — of longing for another human being. They flutter close, yet we can’t touch them. We’re afraid — that our touch might harm them, infect them, turn them to wood, the way we ourselves once froze… silent, breathless, suspended halfway between fear and hope.

This painting feels like a prayer painted in color — for hope, for movement, for warmth that can bring people together again.A quiet monument to those who survived — and to those still trying to bloom after a long silence.

But when I look longer, another question arises:
Can we still build real connections?
Do we remember what compromise means — what love truly is?
Will the next generation be able to experience it — to open up again, or maybe for the very first time?
Will society help them do it… or close them off once more — in stillness, in silence, in isolation?

And you — what do you feel when you look at this painting?