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Montien BOONMA
Thailand 1953–2000
 The artist installing Lotus sound 1992 First Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 1993 Queensland Art Gallery Photograph: Christabelle Baranay |
 Montien Boonma Lotus sound 1992 Terracotta, gilded wood 300 x 350 x 300cm The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art Purchased 1993 with funds from The Myer Foundation, Michael Myer and Ann Gamble Myer through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Collection: Queensland Art Gallery Photograph: Matthew Kassay |
Montien Boonma was born in 1953 in Bangkok, Thailand, where he died in 2000. Through his sculptures and installations, Boonma looked to internal, local and philosophical sources as a means of exploring the significance of the transcendental. As a devout Buddhist, his work engaged profoundly with meditations on the relationship between the material and non-material aspects of life. Montien Boonma is one of the most significant artists to emerge from South-East Asia in the late twentieth century.
More information about the artist
 Montien Boonma Salas for the mind 1995 Steel, graphite 4 units: 270 x 100 x 100cm each Collection: Estate of Montien Boonma, Bangkok |
 Montien Boonma Black altar 1995 Aluminium, graphite and herbs 120 x 480 x 100cm The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art. Purchased 2000 with funds from The Myer Foundation. A project of the Sidney Myer Centenary Celebration 1899–1999 Gift through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Collection: Queensland Art Gallery Photograph: Matthew Kassay |
Montien Boonma’s art bridges the gap between Thailand’s traditional culture and contemporary life. His works draw inspiration from South-East Asian architectural forms such as salas (pavilions), stupas (Buddhist reliquary monuments) and wats (Buddhist monastery complexes). Boonma uses traditional motifs and organic materials to create works that are sanctuaries for contemplation and self-reflection in the modern world.
 Montien Boonma Arokhayasala: Temple of the mind 1996 Steel, aluminium and herbs 370 x 250 x 250cm Collection: Acacia Fine Art Ltd, Bangkok Photograph: Matthew Kassay |
 Montien Boonma Arokhayasala: Temple of the mind (detail) 1996 Steel, aluminium and herbs 370 x 250 x 250cm Collection: Acacia Fine Art Ltd, Bangkok Photograph: Matthew Kassay |
The aluminium and steel surfaces of Black altar 1995 and Arokhayasala: Temple of the mind 1996 are smeared with traditional Thai medicinal herbs. These herbs envelop the viewer with their gentle aroma, triggering the senses and creating a space for physical and spiritual healing. The elegant and precarious arrangement of hand-made terracotta bells comprising Lotus sound 1992 evokes sounds associated with meditation and prayer and suggests contemplation of the visible and the invisible.
This artist is featured in the Education Resource Kit.
List of works in APT 2002
Artists and Works
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