‘In his tasteless suit, he is a personification of consumerist greed. He was so hot he had to run to the car for a blast of the air-con’

The idea for Pink Man was born when I went to the first giant mall that opened in Bangkok. It was a warehouse on the outskirts of town that was so huge you got lost among stacks of products. Normally I would go to the supermarket with a small basket, but the trolleys I saw there were so big you could lie down in them. I saw a family in front of me filling one and I thought: “How many days will it take them to finish that? How much money do you need to fill this?” It reminded me of Duane Hanson’s hyperreal sculptures of American families but also how his art reflected his time. I thought my art should reflect my time, too.

I was born in 1961 and lived by the canals with rice fields right in front of me. I couldn’t believe how society had changed within my lifetime, how it had happened right in front of my eyes. In many ways my art is a reflection of my life. When I pass away you can look at my art and you will see my life.