Mandi Bunga
- EXHIBITION DATE : OCT 8 - 28, 2023
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This thesis exhibition, “Mandi Bunga” by Anchana Nangkala, focuses on studying the aesthetics of “Flower Bathing,” a therapeutic practice based on traditional healing methods of the Malay in the three southern border provinces, passing down from one generation to the next in the family lineage of traditional healers.
The cultural significance of flowers in Thai society traces its roots back to ancient times, intertwined with beliefs and religious rituals. Before the influence of Buddhism and Hindu Brahminism, offering flowers to spirits and supernatural entities prevailed. Consequently, flowers are pivotal in significant ceremonies that span a person’s lifetime, from birth to death. Known as “Bunga” in Malay, flowers profoundly connect to the local beliefs of the three southern border provinces (Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat), particularly in the Mandi Bunga, or flower bathing ritual. This belief system is intricately structured, with each step in the ceremony fortifying the spirits of the participants and their relatives. This tradition has been passed down through generations, carrying with it the enduring aesthetic values still evident in the border regions of the southern part of the country. The Mandi Bunga ritual mandates fresh flowers, seven colours and seven types. It is conducted by a Tok Bidan (ancient midwife or female traditional healer) or a Tok Mudeng (male traditional healer). The participants in the flower bathing ritual can be women and men at any stage of life. Akin to receiving a gift that liberates one from sorrow, believers hold that participants emerge as fresh and vibrant from the ritual as a newly blossomed flower. For unmarried young women, there is a belief that this ritual can attract a suitor like a butterfly or an insect drawn to a beautiful flower. And for those who have faced adversity, it signifies the onset of a new life filled with good fortune.
The artist extracts symbolism associated with the treatment process, from preparation to the actual and post-treatment phases, then incorporates it into new semiotic art to highlight the value, meaning, and aesthetics by communicating through the aesthetical and visual elements in the form of oil paintings a total of four sets: Set 1—“Hope, Belief, And Flower Bathing”, Set 2—“Flowers, Beauty, And Blossoming”, Set 3—“Aesthetics In Flower Bathing”, and Set 4—“Aesthetics After Flower Bathing”.
This thesis exhibition, “Mandi Bunga” by Anchana Nangkala, focuses on studying the aesthetics of “Flower Bathing,” a therapeutic practice based on traditional healing methods of the Malay in the three southern border provinces, passing down from one generation to the next in the family lineage of traditional healers.
The cultural significance of flowers in Thai society traces its roots back to ancient times, intertwined with beliefs and religious rituals. Before the influence of Buddhism and Hindu Brahminism, offering flowers to spirits and supernatural entities prevailed. Consequently, flowers are pivotal in significant ceremonies that span a person’s lifetime, from birth to death. Known as “Bunga” in Malay, flowers profoundly connect to the local beliefs of the three southern border provinces (Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat), particularly in the Mandi Bunga, or flower bathing ritual. This belief system is intricately structured, with each step in the ceremony fortifying the spirits of the participants and their relatives. This tradition has been passed down through generations, carrying with it the enduring aesthetic values still evident in the border regions of the southern part of the country. The Mandi Bunga ritual mandates fresh flowers, seven colours and seven types. It is conducted by a Tok Bidan (ancient midwife or female traditional healer) or a Tok Mudeng (male traditional healer). The participants in the flower bathing ritual can be women and men at any stage of life. Akin to receiving a gift that liberates one from sorrow, believers hold that participants emerge as fresh and vibrant from the ritual as a newly blossomed flower. For unmarried young women, there is a belief that this ritual can attract a suitor like a butterfly or an insect drawn to a beautiful flower. And for those who have faced adversity, it signifies the onset of a new life filled with good fortune.
The artist extracts symbolism associated with the treatment process, from preparation to the actual and post-treatment phases, then incorporates it into new semiotic art to highlight the value, meaning, and aesthetics by communicating through the aesthetical and visual elements in the form of oil paintings a total of four sets: Set 1—“Hope, Belief, And Flower Bathing”, Set 2—“Flowers, Beauty, And Blossoming”, Set 3—“Aesthetics In Flower Bathing”, and Set 4—“Aesthetics After Flower Bathing”.
