“Being a nude photographer in Thailand is not easy. They won’t just talk about you, just about your work. You have to be strong enough to know that they’re going to talk about your appearance, your family, or how they raised you. There are some people who already judge you, that you are a bad person.”
Sophirat Muangkum, a Thai female nude photographer, expresses her deep frustration as to how she has been treated throughout her career, especially when nude photography remains shunned in Thai culture. As a result, nude photographers like herself still face backlash, social prejudice and, in the worst cases, verbal sexual harassment.
When we’re naked, we are all the same
In her latest solo exhibition, “Decentralised Thainess”, Sophirat explores how people are defined by traditional values, stereotypes and cultural norms in the four regions of Thailand. Among the stereotypes are that people in the North are shy, those in the Northeast are blunt, or those in the Deep South are violent. Therefore, she uses nude photography to strip away such stereotypes, to show that people are all the same.
“I feel that nudity is not only about being naked,” she explains. “It’s about freedom. It’s about equality. So, for this nude photography exhibition, I’m bringing everyone back to the basics. When we’re all naked, we are all the same.”
The whole photo exhibition took Sophirat more than four years to create. Most of the models she chose for the photoshoots were those she met in local communities, who she finds interesting and have their own stories to tell. A few examples include a young female activist for LGBTQ+ rights, who fell victim to bullying and body shaming, another female who shaved her head to rebel against political oppression and a group of sex workers who remain disparaged in Thai society.
On this journey, the 40-year-old photographer describes herself as an “empty glass” exploring different communities, delving into their stories, and eventually, bringing all the missing pieces together. This was when she discovered that each region of Thailand has its own history and culture, as opposed to what many Thais have learnt in the textbooks, which depict a “centralised” idea of what it means to be “Thai”.
“So, I’m very interested in what was never in the textbooks or what people often misunderstand about people in the various regions,” she explains as the backstory to the exhibition.
It’s art, not obscene
As in her previous art exhibitions, Sophirat believes that a nude photograph can convey various meanings, and is not restricted to the meaning of “art” or “obscene”. In fact, Sophirat has been trying to get this message across throughout the past decade of her career.
It all started in 2018, her first solo exhibition in Thailand, when she was bombarded by questions from Thai reporters. The most frequently asked question was whether her nude photo exhibition is considered “art” or “obscene”, which incited her to prove her point ever since.
“That project was kind of experimental, where I took photos of more than 30 women of different ages and religions. I asked what nudity means to them. Then I transformed their answers and incorporated them into my artwork. That was when I found out that one nude photograph is more than just “art” or “obscene”. A nude photo of a pregnant mother could also express her love for the child she is carrying, while feeling that her body is still beautiful.”
As to why she fell for nude photography, she explains that being naked is her “nature”, indicating that every human is born naked and that there is nothing wrong with being comfortable in your own skin.
This is completely the opposite of her conservative upbringing. She was raised to strictly uphold Thai traditional values and, most importantly, to meet the expectations of being a “good daughter”. Among these expectations were taking responsibility for household chores, dressing modestly and being obedient. It was not until she studied in Germany and became a photographer there that she decided to break the mould, realising the true meaning of freedom.
“It’s just my nature that I want to free myself sometimes,” she says. “When I grew up, I liked to take photos of myself, and I just liked the lighting and shadow on my skin. After 10 years, whenever I looked back at my artworks, I discovered that it’s not only the beauty of the light or shadows on my skin. It’s about freedom.”
Fighting bias
Being a nude photographer in the Thai art scene remains a tremendous struggle. When it comes to nude art, Sophirat pointed out that Thai viewers are more familiar with nude magazines, mainly catered to male audiences, which have led to the perception that nudity must always be “sexy”. On the other hand, Thai viewers remain unfamiliar with nude art in other settings, such as in museums and art galleries, which are much more common in the West.
Because of the limited perception of nude art among Thais, Sophirat feels that nude photographers, like herself, remain marginalised in the Thai art scene. Even worse, being “Thai” and “female” makes things even harder, due to conservative cultural norms that dictate that Thai women stay modest and reserved and, therefore, women in nude photography are always looked down upon.
“If I’m a Thai female, they have already decided for me what I have to do, even if they do not know me,” she says, adding that being a Thai female nude photographer wouldn’t be a problem if she lived outside of Thailand.
“Many times that I visit a nude gallery or exhibition, Thai people have no problem with foreign photographers, but they have a problem if it’s a Thai photographer, because they are concerned about religion, or values of being a good person, especially if you are a woman.”
Sophirat explains further that she was never not allowed to do something just because she’s a woman, back when she was still a nude photographer in Germany. When she came back to Thailand, however, being a Thai woman and a nude photographer became the most common issue that reporters would raise with her, even those from international media.
At the same time, even though Sophirat has a long list of solo and group exhibitions to prove her experience, she still has to approach the media by herself, to convince people to explore other aspects of nude photography. Another difficulty that the female photographer experienced was when she was rejected by some universities as a guest lecturer, just because her portfolio includes nudity, reiterating her point that nude photographers are still subject to discrimination.
“It is quite hard,” she says. “I cannot do only nude photography and exhibitions. I have to approach the media. I have to approach the university. I have to write something. I have to make them understand me from many perspectives. I mean, it’s much harder for me compared to others.”
Despite being recognised now as one of the top nude photographers in Thailand, most people are still not open-minded about nude-related art, especially the way people raise eyebrows or tease someone when they post a photo of themselves visiting a nude exhibition.
One incident she still remembers was when a visitor took a selfie with her. Someone joked that he or she wanted to become a nude model for Sophirat. As much as it offended her, she said that she could only laugh it off “just to be polite”.
“No one wants anyone to laugh at what you love,” she explains. “So, when someone says ‘Ah… you’re going to be a nude model for this photographer right?’ It’s not a joke to me,” she explains.
As the bias against nude art persists, Sophirat believes that having more (female) nude photographers would help push more boundaries in the Thai art scene.
“I would be grateful if there were more female photographers coming out,” she says. “Because, if you shout alone, you will get tired and your voice would be small. If there are more people who understand your work and are doing the same thing, I think we can change something,” she believes.
It’s a naked body that covers your soul
As for her ultimate goal as a Thai photographer of nudes, Sophirat says that she dreams of travelling around the world, to explore different cultures through nude photography. She also dreams of taking photos of communities where they still live naked and this latest solo exhibition marks the starting point of her next journey.
“I really want to travel around the world to take nude photos of people, like this exhibition, but in other cultures,” she says. “Because I think, for me, it’s a naked body that covers your soul. Some people create their appearance to be like that of others, but we have no idea what’s inside them when they are naked.”
By Nad Bunnag, Thai PBS World
