Vipoo Srivilasa’s Deities of Daily Needs introduces 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. For all the times when you need an extra hand, a keen eye to find a parking spot, someone to nudge you out the door when you’re running late - these deities are here to serve. As both a humorous and sincere reflection of our collective ‘trivial’ struggles, Srivilasa acknowledges how significant their role in our lives are, how they affect our moods and determine how we spend our days. Embracing instead a spirit of joy, we are reminded of our personal capacity to pause and reflect, and the inherent desire to ask for help when life gets frustrating.
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. As a theological blend of different beliefs, Thai customs have consistently evolved with the contemporary. Srivilasa reimagines these traditions for an Australian context, asking: what modern concerns must we pray for today? What would a deity look like for someone trying to balance the throws of everyday life - of work or social media? The governance of these deities, though seemingly small and particular, meet us in our current moment. While they carry cultural resonances that bridge Vipoo’s Thai heritage with his experiences in contemporary Australian society, these works embody an empathy universal for the desire for slowness and an appreciation for all things.
At first glance we might not see the value in the smallness of our everyday annoyances - how to keep the houseplants alive, mastering the art of small talk, or even knowing how to relax (truly relax), and yet they appear here fully formed and tangible. Srivilasa’s deities with beady eyes that bloom for our attention, their little hands that reach out for ours, realize through their cuteness that these seemingly small issues are “worthy” of our attention. Personifying our everyday struggles, they are not only something to be known, but to be loved!
They are youthful in that way. Their exuberant liveliness shining in how they bend and twist, singing with childlike excitement for the world around them. Contagiously, their sense of fun in embracing the absurdity of modern life reframes menial tasks into exciting and new challenges, developing and ever evolving.
On paper garlands, Srivilasa invites you to create a space for both complaint and gratitude, where offering up prayer to these deities allows for time for reflection. All the offerings that accumulate in this makeshift temple illustrate this collective meditation, becoming a physical manifestation of intention. Much like the concept of merit-making in Buddhist traditions, the act of making an offering becomes a ripple effect, an acknowledgment that our words, our actions, leave permanent marks on the world around us.
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. Vipoo Srivilasa’s Deities of Daily Needs, reframe and anchor our experiences into something monumental- something divine and cared for, even when we are pushed to the edge of humdrum frustration.
