Thai artist Nakrob Moonmanas’ practice is centred around the collaging of fragments of images and texts drawn from a variety of Thai and foreign sources and different historical, cultural and literary contexts. Through this process he creates collage works that form alternative narratives and encourage viewers to reexamine their perception of the past. Although his works typically reference Thai cultural contexts, the complexity and universality of his visual language appeals to audiences from all walks of life and allows them to explore overlapping layers of meanings by connecting symbols until a narrative emerges. For this work, he eschewed a chronological narrative in favour of one about a physical space, with the aim of revealing the history of the Wireless-Rama IV area, which was once home to Thailand’s first radiotelegraph station and remains as modern and dynamic now as it was then.

His mixed-media work Greetings of Times is a three-dimensional collage of copper plates, a material the artist chose due to its importance in radiotelegraph communication. Historical images of events that took place in the Wireless-Rama IV neighbourhood, including the Siamese Kingdom Expo of 1925, activities in Lumpini Park, and lifestyles of people in the early modern era, are recomposed to create a round relief that can be viewed from any angle. Each copper plate is attached to a metal pole extending from a base of soil, making it appear as if images from the past are rising from the earth—a reminder to viewers of the layers of memories that lie buried in this space.

Interspersed with the copper plates are LCD screens flashing the 17-word text of the first radiotelegraph message ever sent in Thailand, although here it is recomposed by artificial intelligence into constantly changing free verses. These exchanges across time constitute a reawakening of the stories that lay dormant beneath the ground of Wireless House One Bangkok, a memorial to Thailand’s first radiotelegraph station.