In this five-channel video installation, Arya Rasdjarmrearnsook seeks to extract, in her words, “the inseparable entanglement of things/lives/subjects.” Negotiating the expanse of time between life and death, the artist explores the theme of consumption through seemingly disparate states of being: the metaphysics of eating, femininity, the animal gaze, sexuality, and gender stereotypes. These are projected onto four linen screens before leading up to a projection on a bed. As the fabrics shimmer with movement, the ethereal presentation of the video works echoes the transient nature of our existence, even as various stories are woven together in an over-arching experience. Akin to a surrealist dream, Jaonua: The Nothingness invites audiences to ponder the karmic consequences of being entrapped within the cycle of existence.

Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook (b. 1957, Trad, Thailand) is a multidisciplinary artist who works primarily in video and film. Her work often addresses themes of female identity, sexuality and mortality, using images of death and lamentation. In a career spanning more than 20 years, Araya has exhibited at many international art events, including the Thai pavilion at the 51st Venice Biennale (2005), and in 2015, had a retrospective at SculptureCenter in New York City. She lives and works in Chiang Mai, Thailand.