5 Generals Who Return Happiness to People

Manit Sriwanichpoom engages with the socio-political situation in Thailand during the turbulent years leading up to the death of the former king, the beloved King Rama IX Bhumidol Adulyadej, in 2016. In 5 Generals Who Return Happiness to People, (2014), Sriwanichpoom references the military coup that seized control of the government in 2014, following months of violence and protests.  Treading the fine line between political satire and protest art, Sriwanichpoom obscures the faces of his subjects but the pixelated images do little to hide the recognisable uniforms and regalia of these military figures.  While the work satirizes the military junta, it also indirectly addresses the military’s links to the monarchy, the taboo of criticising the King, and the deep divisions within Thai society.