Throughout his career, Thai Chinese artist Tang Chang positioned himself outside of mainstream art circles dominated by Silpakorn University and its National Exhibition of Art. Instead, he preferred to hold exhibitions of his and his student’s works at his own home. Chang refused to sell his works, preferring instead to gain income through other means. In 1968, when the artist was 34 years old, he self-published a book featuring his ‘concrete poems,’ which dealt with social themes as well as more personal meditations on nature and family life. Unlike his paintings, these works garnered interest from Thai literary circles, gaining popularity within counterculture movements that were gaining traction in the late 1960s and early 1970s.In this concrete poem reflecting on life and society, the Thai word ไฟ (flame) is repeated in rows above คน (people), forming a symbolic landscape depicting the treacherous conditions of the people’s lives.
