Vipoo Srivilasa is included in Within Heaven and Earth at Fairfield City Museum and Gallery.
In search of renewal and healing, the artists in Within Heaven and Earth share a multi-dimensionality of storytelling to explore personal identity and cultural memory.
Venditus, the deity of sales, is part of Vipoo's series Deities of Daily Needs, a vibrant pantheon of helpers for the modern world who watch over us and listen to our disgruntled moans over menial trials of everyday life.
In both historical and contemporary Thai culture, people often pray to deities for practical needs - a good harvest, protection for family, even attracting customers to a new business. Srivilasa reimagines these traditions for an Australian context, asking: what modern concerns must we pray for today?
As both an exercise in acceptance and celebration, there is an underlying acknowledgment of how we overlook these parts of our life, reminding us to appreciate the ‘small’. His deities provide both comfort and a gentle nudge towards gratitude, encouraging us to not only embrace, but share our joy through new found rituals.
