Footnotes

Provenance
Richard Koh Fine Art, Singapore
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Literature
Demetrio Paparoni, Natee Utarit: Optimism is Ridiculous, Milan, 2017, p. 44 - 45, illustrated in colour

納堤．尤塔瑞
搖尾狗
油彩 亞麻布 裱於藝術家畫框
2013年作

簽名︰Natee Utarit 12, Optimism is Ridiculous（背面）

來源
新加坡，Richard Koh Fine Art 畫廊
現藏家得自上述來源

出版
Demetrio Paparoni 著，《納堤·尤塔瑞：樂觀是荒謬的》，米蘭，2017年，第44-45頁，彩圖

Natee Utarit, born in Bangkok in 1970, graduated in Graphic Arts from Silpakorn University in 1991. His background in graphic and fine arts informs his unique practice, which blends traditional painting techniques with elements of photography and classical Western art. Utarit's work is also deeply rooted in Western art traditions, which he interweaves with Southeast Asian perspectives. Exhibitions like Illustration of the Crisis (Bangkok University Gallery, 2013) and After Painting (Singapore Art Museum, 2010) reveal his approach of merging historical context with contemporary issues. His method creates a dialogue between Eastern and Western artistic practices, bridging different cultural and historical narratives through his distinctive visual language.

In Wag the Dog, Utarit presents a striking, unsettling image, a dog lies on its stomach while a hand, appearing from the right side of the canvas, grips its tail. This phrase, implying a reversal of expected roles—where the tail wags the dog—speaks to manipulation and inverted power dynamics, alluding to political or media-driven influences. Animals in Utarit's work, serve not only aesthetic but symbolic purposes, akin to their role in the still-life paintings of the Flemish School, where animals often carried deeper meanings. By continuing this tradition, Utarit taps into a shared visual language that transcends cultural boundaries, enabling audiences to interpret the animals as reflections of human nature and societal issues.

納堤．尤塔瑞於1970年出生於曼谷，1991年畢業於詩麗吉皇家大學，主修平面藝術。他的平面藝術和美術背景形成了其獨特的創作風格，將傳統繪畫技巧與攝影元素及西方古典藝術結合。尤塔瑞的作品也深植於西方藝術傳統，與東南亞的視角交織在一起。他的個展《Illustration of the Crisis》（2013年，曼谷大學美術館）和《After Painting》（2010年，新加坡美術館）展示了他將歷史背景與當代議題融合的創作手法。他的藝術方法在東西方藝術實踐之間建立了對話，透過獨特的視覺語言架起了不同文化和歷史敘事的橋樑。

《搖尾狗》中，尤塔瑞呈現了一個引人注目且不安的畫面：一隻狗趴在地上，畫布右側伸出的一隻手抓住它的尾巴。「Wag the Dog」 這個短語指的是一種注意力從更重要的事情被轉移到較不重要的事情上，暗指角色的顛倒—即「尾巴搖狗」，象徵著操縱和顛倒的權力動態，隱喻了政治或媒體驅動的影響力。動物在烏塔里在作品中，不僅僅是為了繪畫表現，如同動物在佛蘭德畫派中靜物畫的角色，它們承載著更深層的寓意。延續這項傳統，尤塔瑞融入了跨文化的視覺語言，使觀眾能夠將這些動物視為人性和社會問題的反射。