Surojana Sethabutra

Surojana Sethabutra is a contemporary public artist and ceramicist born in Bangkok. Her career began in 1989, after she received an MFA in Ceramics from Kansas State University, and earlier, in 1980, a B. Arch (Fine & Applied Arts) from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

In her early years, Sethabutra focused on free standing pottery forms such as the Tea of Equilibrium (Silom Art Space, Bangkok, 1993). In 1996, an unexpected assignment of 400 square meters at The National Gallery, Bangkok began her ceramics installation, 4 Elements, followed by Israel (The Art Center, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 1998). By 2013, her artwork Siamese Natural Resources – We Love Thailand signalled an expansion in her practice, beyond the limitation of fired clay. The focus of her artwork has shifted between concerns against the mortality and eternal spirit of ceramics to more recently, testing the unlimited expansion of materials and procedures of The Siam Medical Scriptures, New Edition.

Having exhibited The Siam Medical Scriptures Vol. l-ll of His Royal Highness Krom Luang Wongsa Dhiraj Snidhin at the most recent, 2023 Womanifesto: Flowing Connections, Surojana has an extensive history with the womanifesto community. Early in 1997, she was invited to join the Womanifesto group exhibition by Nittaya Uae-Reeworakul and Vasha Nair, where she presented The United Nations of Women artist. She returned for the second Womanifesto event at Saranrom Park, with the artwork, The Origins of the Park and in 2001, began interacting with the natural environment by building the Local Kiln. She used materials within Boon Bandan Farm where a Womanifesto Workshop was held, enabling the group of women and locals to fire ceramics on site. The relationships she created through Womanifesto extended beyond the biennial events, in 2002 being invited by Nair to the International Workshop and Exhibition at The Ceramic Center at Light Publications Limited, in Vadodara, India.