About

Website: http://www.ntintamusik.com/
Instagram: @narong.tintamusik

Biography:

Narong Tintamusik is an artist and based in Dallas, TX. As a survivor of abuse, his work  is autobiographical and at the intersection of mental well-being, nature, and the spiritual.  Through painting and its iterations, he reconciles the innocence lost during his youth and makes attempts to understand how past trauma reincarnates into various forms in the present. Often figurative, the work draws from his own lived experiences while combining Buddhist teachings, Thai folklore, and his fascination with the environment.

Born in Dallas, TX, he lived in Bangkok, Thailand for 10 years. He obtained his Biology undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Dallas with a minor in visual arts in 2014. He has exhibited in group shows locally in Dallas, TX and beyond including New York, Canada, and Germany. Solo exhibitions include 500X Gallery, Dallas, TX and Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX. He is the recipient of the DeGoyler Memorial Fund from the Dallas Museum of Art in 2015. He is currently a part of Artist Co-op 500X Gallery.

In addition to being an artist, Tintamusik is an art collector and independent curator where his focus often lies on the ideas of identity, queerness, sexuality, Asian diaspora, figuration, abstraction, fashion, love, and nature. He is an advocate for emerging artists in terms of collecting their works early in their careers. His curatorial projects include Queer Me Now: The Queer Body and Gaze at 500X Gallery and The MAC in Dallas, TX and Human/Nature at Fort Worth Community Arts Center in Fort Worth, TX. He also started Musik, a virtual curatorial platform that offer solo exhibitions to artists without gallery representation through invitational and open calls. 

Artist Statement:

My art are self-portraits. When I was a child, I was sexually taken advantage of. I kept that secret for most of my youth until my early 20's, where I broke the silence. I lived my life thinking I have contracted venereal diseases during my time of silence and the fear of it lingers.  Although I generally have peace with the events that transpired, I realized the way I am now were because of the past. The art making process helps reconcile the youth that was tarnished and lost. To gain greater understanding of one’s nature means one must directly confront our shadows.

Themes of trauma, sexuality, memory, and innocence are explored in my works. Naïve, yet depraved, figures exist often alone in settings inspired by my love for nature. These environments are often imbued with the supernatural and are drawn by my upbringing in Thailand. Memories of Thai ghost stories, national parks, Buddhist teachings,  and the extreme psychological loneliness greatly influence the works.  I attempt to show the audience what is like to live in a world where childhood was taken away too soon, and perversion was unwillingly acquainted.