Dimensions
298 x 300 x 26mm
In deepest Southern Thailand, bordering Malaysia, is the rarely visited province of Narathiwat, home of ongoing conflict between Thailand and Muslim separatists. Once part of the Islamic Sultanate, this area was only integrated into Siam following the Anglo-Siam treaty of 1909. On a photographic expedition for a magazine article, locals led the acclaimed Spanish photographer (now resident in Asia) Xavier Comas to a huge rambling structure that had once been, he was told, the magnificent palace of Tengu Shamsuddin the Raja of Legeh. Now inhabited by a shaman, who invited the photographer to stay, and local characters including an archaeologist, research student and a collector, the magical lost Palace of the Rajah of Legeh slowly revealed herself and seemed to encapsulate the shadows, splendour and desolation of this historic but conflicted region. AUTHOR: Xavier Comas is a visual artist originally from Spain and now resident in Asia. His work has been published worldwide and he has had exhibitions in Europe and Asia. The Singapore Art Museum hosted his Pasajero exhibition and acquired his Jiutamai series for their permanent collection. His work has been featured by many prominent magazines worldwide, including Spain's La Vangaurdia, the Japanese Art Magazine Quotation and the USA's Time. The photographs that make up The House of the Raja were exhibited in Bangkok in 2011 and it is up for discussion whether it will, in the future, travel to Europe. 100 b/w photographs
