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The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Vol. 30 No. 3 Jul.-Sep. 2005 734 SPIRITUALITY IN ART : BUDDHIST VALUES IN THAILAND edly accessible through art. Kind- ness, peace and spiritual wisdom among human beings may result from engagement with art that ex- presses spirituality. 3 Artist and art lecturer, Panya Vijinthanasarn (1998), whose art works are discussed later in this exegesis, believes that art can bring the Thai public closer to virtue and to the subject of morality (interview with the artist, 1999). Similarly, Chalermchai Kosit- pipat (1998) sees art as a tool that directly serves his spiritual need through association with Buddhism. Chalermchai (1998) dedicates his artworks to Buddhism. He believes that the art that serves religion can bring peace and spirituality to the people. Ark Fongsamut (2000), a Thai art curator and critic, believes that visual forms can represent spirituality and reflect its abstract meanings effectively. 4 Many scholars have addressed the current search for spirituality, and the world’s major and minor religions have been playing a wider role in bringing kindness, peace and spiritual wisdom to their followers. Thai people turn to Buddhism and to the sacred in times of spiritual need, whilst others turn to magical power to solve their problems. The attitude of Thais towards spiritualism is mainly due to their religious aware- ness. This religious awareness is evident in Thai art and a significant number of contemporary Thai artists have been pursuing spiritual wisdom through their works. Assistant Professor Somporn Rodboon 5 , an art scholar and curator, believes that spiritual notions and values are not only true and important for life gen- erally but also for art and artists (Bangkok Post Outlook, 2002). There is some evidence that contemporary Thai art has also been a catalyst for social, political and spiritual change. This will be dis- cussed later. Concept of Spirituality in Thai Art The concept of “spirituality” is essentially intangible, and interpreted in many ways in art. The concept does not convey only formal religious faith or beliefs where traditional symbols of religion have been repre- sented, but also a wide range of abstract images and intellectual con- ditions. In the West, “spirituality ex- presses itself across a wide spectrum of religious allegiances and belief systems” (Drury et al., 1996:7) 6 . It is aware that artistic expression such as that of the Thai involves the concept of “spirituality” through such systems. Spiritual dimension in art can be expressed in a number of ways, ranging from overt mythic and reli- gious symbolism through to intangi- ble and metaphysical resonances which somehow arise instinctually within the work (Drury et al., 1996:9). The instinctive response of artists to spirituality is seen as a natural response to the spiritual “background system” of each artist. Prinya Tantisuk (1998) and many other Thai artists believe that art crea- tion is embued with the inner spirit of the artist involved in the process of making. However, while artists may re- late to the concept of “spirituality” through an extension of the conscious mind that involves “mystery”, there are also “instinctual” and “doctrinal” responses available. The potential of human secular awareness and a sacred potential innate in all humans are also related to this particular artistic practice, and as a consequence, some artworks are potentially related to “spirituality” without actual knowing it. The expression of spirituality is not at once evident, but is inherent in the work. A number of the Thai artists interviewed agreed that the process of artistic creation at certain levels is associated with “spirituality”, embodying the concepts of “soul” or “essence”. This is fundamental for many Thai artists; their work reflect both human awareness and an inner state of consciousness. Thavorn Ko-udomvit (1998) gave his opinion that artworks that carried the essence of spirituality also reflected the artists’ instinctual awareness. Drury et al. (1996:7) described spirituality in art: In its broadest connotation it relates to the sacred and transcen- dental dimensions of human con- sciousness and touches directly on the fundamental mystery which underlies the process of creation.