Sudaporn Teja Thai, b. 1986

Sudaporn TEJA (b. 1986) was born and lives in Chiang Mai - Thailand. Her family name TEJA has a long artistic lineage dating back to the reign of King Rama V. Teja  is an hold Lanna word derived from Pali, and it was Sudaporn's great grandfather's name Noy-Teja  that was later adopted as the family's last name (Noy is a prefix to designate a learned-person. Before Thailand's modernization, Thais don't use last names). Noy-Teja was an accomplished musician, playing three-stringed fiddles, so good that he was reputed as the « Noy-Teja Who Loses the Buffalo ». Buffalo herders in the rice field would be so captivated by the music that they forgot about the animals. Noy-Teja often played for various official and private ceremonies, even court ceremonies on many occasions, earning his name as one of the finest musicians in his region and time. Her grandmothers and mother where also accomplished Thai Lue craftsmen whose family made silverwares and various types of weaving. Sudaporn's Lanna artistic blood runs thick. These abstract works are her calls from within, the expression by which she chose as a professional artist.

Teja's brushstrokes are confident as are her emotions as she grows to become a mature woman and artist in her own right. Her sense of colours and gestures is precise - they heal as she expresses deep emotions of joy and sorrow ; they narrate her emotional journeys, past and present; they are her self-discipline and conscience.

Through her paintings, Sudaporn Teja wants to convey feelings about both its environment and surroundings, and also her deepest inner emotions. « The feelings expressed in my art arise from my life experiences and changing situations, and from the interaction with people I encounter.  These expressions come from deep within myself, born from feelings of both joy and sorrow, as a means of healing and release through my art.  My paintings serve as symbolic representations of my past and present telling stories that remind me of who I am and where I have been. Her  art is also strongly influenced by spiritual beliefs as a Buddhist - demonstrating my personal convictions learned from these teachings. The importance of having the self discipline to accept both the good and bad in life with an open heart plays a crucial role in my art work.»

Sudaporn Teja earned her Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture, Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna (RMUTL) (2008) and Master's Degree in Fine Arts (Paintings) from the Faculty of Fine Art, Chiang Mai University (2013). She participated in many group exhibitions, though mainly in the street art scene. She was invited by Thaillywood to join the residency program from May to August 2013, an independent foundation founded by Hugues and Marie Fontaine Taittinger.