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Panida Te Petchara

zine, video, Spoken word, riso-print, Publicatie, performance, installatie, fotografie, film, Experimenteel, Design, Conceptueel, Audiovisueel, Artistiek onderzoek

Panida 'Té' Petchara is a visual artist working with moving and still images, objects, and installation, currently based in Rotterdam. Her work reinterprets everyday objects through a subversive lens to explore identity, capitalism, and belief systems. Raised in Songkhla, her journey from Thailand's media industry to earning an MFA in Lens-Based Media at Piet Zwart Institute shaped her focus on displacement and the struggles faced by underprivileged communities.

Her short film She Cries (The Holy Water), premiering at the 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam, uses rain, seawater, and tears to explore memory, homesickness, and displacement through a semi-autobiographical lens. Her earlier film Dream Weaver 555, which premiered at the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam, employs satire and superstition to examine dreams, desire, and social inequality in Thai society.

Her work has been exhibited globally, including at the EYE Film Museum, V2_ Lab for the Unstable Media, and film festivals in the Netherlands, Australia, and Greece.

Trashscape Playground, Artist residency at CRASH X RACCOONS Studio
Trashscape Playground, Artist residency at CRASH X RACCOONS Studio - Trashscape Playground was developed and presented by RACCOONS Studio (Tianyi Zheng & Panida Te Petchara) during their residency at CRASH, an independent art space in Hong Kong. The project brought together installation, live cinema, and interactive media to examine the strange emotional lives of discarded objects—especially toys—collected by artist Tianyi Zheng over several years while moving between Rotterdam, Hong Kong, and other project sites. The residency culminated in an open studio, a live cinema performance, and a public sharing session with local artists.
She Cries (The Holy Water)
She Cries (The Holy Water) - She Cries (The Holy Water) is a mixed-media installation that consists of a single-channel video and a melting ice ball made of collected rain and tear. The video follows the fragmented self-reflections of a Thai artist living in the Netherlands, intertwining migration, childhood memories, and speculative folklore about a mermaid at Samila Beach with the Dutch seaside landscape and its shifting weather. It explores homesickness and folklore from a female perspective. The work is presented as part of Mirror Becomes a Partner: Photography as (Im)material Encounters, the final public presentation of the FOTODOK Lighthouse 2024/2025 program at RIB, on view from 18 to 27 September 2025.
She cries (Thinking of the Land of Smiles) (2024, work-in-progress)
She cries (Thinking of the Land of Smiles) (2024, work-in-progress) - 4-channel video, ice ball made from rain and tears, metal, vase. In the cold and rainy Dutch weather, I often think about a Thai superstition where planting lemongrass upside down can stop the rain, but only if done by a virgin woman. This superstition has made me reflect on my role as a Thai female artist and the society I come from, questioning my place in Thai culture while navigating my experiences in the Netherlands and the expectations placed on women. She Cries (Thinking of the Land of Smiles) is my way of staying spiritually connected to Thailand. Through playful and heartfelt experiments, I explore homesickness, gender norms, and the nature of rain.
My lemongrass friend
My lemongrass friend - Two-channel video installation accompanied by lemongrass and an object installation (bowl and chopsticks). While biking through Dutch rain, I remembered a Thai superstition: a virgin planting lemongrass upside down could stop the rain. Then May turned dry. The lemongrass sat useless, like me. I took her home—we sunbathed, wandered, played, and waited, two strangers out of place, trying to matter again My Lemongrass Friend is a project developed during the Nature of Rotterdam (NoR) Residency. The work is part of Tuin is the Message, the final exhibition of the NoR Artist Residency, took place 14–16 August 2025 in Rotterdam.
DREAM WEAVER 555 (2024)
DREAM WEAVER 555 (2024) - Despite the unfamiliar surroundings during my first month in the Netherlands, I found symbolism in simple things, such as a tree wrapped in colored meshes reminiscent of superstitions from my homeland. The holy tree is believed to improve people's social status by helping them win the lottery, providing a direct path to wealth. This experience was a strong reminder that my Thai roots and cultural heritage are fundamental to my identity. It inspired me to create Dream Weaver 555 (10'43”), a short film that presents an enigmatic amulet offering the promise of realizing one's dreams. Through a satirical lens, the film provides insightful commentary on various aspects of Thai society, including superstition, dreams, desires, and the inequalities mood from political and cultural issues. By delving into an imaginative world, the film portrays superstitions as a source of hope and potential for those endeavoring to enhance their lives and livelihoods.
GIVE ME LUCK. FEED ME HOPE.
GIVE ME LUCK. FEED ME HOPE. (2024) - A still-life photography series exploring Thai superstitions through everyday objects. Blending belief and symbolism, it reflects on how these traditions offer hope, protection, and reveal deeper social inequalities. Produced by 55555project collaborative. Photographer / Video Maker: Panida Te Petchara. Art Director / Title Design: Chanidsara Thongma.
DREAM WEAVER 555
‘Currently, Currently, Currently' (2024) - An installation view of 'DREAM WEAVER 555' and 'GIVE ME LUCK. FEED ME HOPE.' at the Lens-Based Media graduation show Currently, Currently, Currently at V2, held from June 27-30, 2024. The installation featured 'DREAM WEAVER 555', a short film with a duration of 10.43 minutes, accompanied by a mixed media installation of varied dimensions, and 'GIVE ME LUCK. FEED ME HOPE.', a vertical video slideshow displaying 20 still-life photographs, with a total duration of 3.30 minutes.
Buy This And Get Rich Tomorrow (พรุ่งนี้รวย)
Buy This And Get Rich Tomorrow (พรุ่งนี้รวย) (2023) - A spin-off of the project 'Welcome to My Motherland,' offering fortune amulets and flipbooks that demonstrate how to create and obtain lucky numbers from The Holy Tree. In Thailand, large trees wrapped in colorful fabric are believed to house a deity. People can rub the bark with their thumb to reveal a lucky number that appears on the tree, often used for winning the lottery. This practice is seen as a way to get rich overnight and symbolizes hope for many Thai people. Flipbook 01 demonstrates how to create the Holy Tree by wrapping the tree in colorful fabric. Flipbook 02 shows how to obtain lucky numbers by rubbing the tree bark. Being a Thai far from home in this fast-paced and money-driven world, I have tasted the bitterness of homesickness and the struggle of financial limitations. That's why I've invented these portable flipbooks, like carrying a fortunate tree with you. When things feel tough, just rub the page, and it will definitely give you lucky numbers for the lottery. Join me in our pursuit of prosperity!
The Holy Sponge
The Holy Sponge (2023) - A 3.47 minute short film. The Holy Sponge presents a fictional exhibition trailer, “Keep Worshiping”. The exhibition highlights the holy qualities of objects King Sponge owned and used to develop the Coconut Shell Planet.
Making the Flag of Thailand (2023)
Making the Flag (2023) - In this experiment, I recreate the flag of Thailand using colored sponges, arranging them to mirror the familiar stripes of the Trairanga. I start with the Netherlands flag —red, white, and blue— reconfiguring its elements to form the Thai flag. The act reflects my recent move from Thailand to the Netherlands and the ways I seek a spiritual connection to my homeland. While both flags share the same colors, their meanings diverge. In the Thai flag, red represents the nation, white (which I replace with yellow sponge) signifies Buddhism and purity, and the central blue stripe, twice as wide as the others, symbolizes the monarchy. By reshaping these colors, I explore ideas of belonging, adaptation, and the emotional weight of national symbols in a state of transition.
A Collection of Urban Nothingness (2023)
A Collection of Urban Nothingness (2023) - Exhibition by Zheng Tianyi, collaborated with Beth Wong, Sojung Lee, and Te Petchara. (Site-specific at Het Wilde Weten Project Space Residency, Performance, Live Stream Projection, Found Objects, Zine.) A Collection of Urban Nothingness is an ongoing project, focused on collecting urban domestic waste and investigating people's travels and displacements. Through a process of collecting, wandering, and constructing, this project seeks to examine the often-overlooked ways in which waste is caused by mobility and to highlight the hidden stories and histories embedded in discarded objects, especially discarded furniture and household items. (Performance by Beth Wong and Tianyi Zheng | Live Filming by Te Petchara | Video Editing by Tianyi Zheng | Photo by Man Pan Lau, Tianyi Zheng and Te Petchara) Made possible with a financial contribution from Mondriaan Fonds, CBK Rotterdam and Amarte Fonds
Something that
Something that (2023) - "Something That" photo series was born as a challenge to myself to take a photo every day for a year. Each day, I captured subjects aligned with a monthly theme, drawing inspiration from the game "Exquisite Corpse," where people take turns adding to a piece of paper without viewing what others have added, which inspired me to abandon complete control over selecting subjects. For instance, one of the rules I follow is to capture a photo of something that I got from a second-hand shop on the second day of each month. In January, I focused on photographing trash, resulting in a photoshoot where I combined an object from a second-hand shop with garbage. Through this series of still-life images. I transformed everyday objects into my visual diary. No new props were purchased specifically for this project. Instead, I explored alternative methods of image-making within defined rules and limitations, challenging the conventional approach of quick and polished commercial photography. The project reflects the passage of time and the commitment of producing work. I aim to gain a better understanding of both my practice and the capitalist world that surrounds me.
55555project
55555project (2018-2022) - 55555project is a collaborative photographic and print project by photographer Panida Petchara and art director Chanidsara Thongma. Still-life photo series that explores the uncanny through carefully arranged everyday objects, creating ambiguous visuals that blur the line between familiarity and strangeness.
A BEETLE
A BEETLE (2020) - A 2.31-minute short film during COVID time. Logline: On a miserable day, an exhausted beetle fell down on the concrete ground. Lying upside down, it seemed considerably struggle for her to flip back to her routine on her own.

Trashscape Playground, Artist residency at CRASH X RACCOONS Studio

Datum:
Locatie: CRASH
In samenwerking met: Tianyi Zheng

Trashscape Playground was developed and presented by RACCOONS Studio (Tianyi Zheng & Panida Te Petchara) during their residency at CRASH, an independent art space in Hong Kong. The project brought together installation, live cinema, and interactive media to examine the strange emotional lives of discarded objects—especially toys—collected by artist Tianyi Zheng over several years while moving between Rotterdam, Hong Kong, and other project sites.

Chaya Chobi X WET film screening

Datum:
Locatie: WET FILM
https://wetfilm.org/2025/09/22/chaya-chobi-x-wet/

TOT-FilmDak GRAW 2025

Datum:
Locatie: Oranjeboomstraat 109
https://www.grootrotterdamsatelierweekend.nl/en/special/filmdak-screenings-and-installation/

Mirror Becomes a Partner: photography as (im)material encounters

Datum:
Locatie: RIB
In samenwerking met: FOTODOK

Tuin is the Message

Datum:
Locatie: VTV Tuinderslust

Corto Migrante

Datum:
Locatie: Maaspodium Rotterdam

Nature of Rotterdam Residency

Datum:
Locatie: VTV Tuinderslust

FilmDak Leaks

Datum:
Locatie: Lange Hilleweg 235

The 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam 2025

Datum:
Locatie: LantarenVenster and Podium Islemunda – Filmzaal
https://iffr.com/en/iffr/2025/films/dream-weaver-555

Yours Strangers

Datum:
Locatie: NGO DEI
https://www.instagram.com/yours.strangers/

Melted Film Festival (a part of Dutch Design Week)

Datum:
Locatie: Lab-1
https://www.lab-1.nl/en/film/melted-film-festival/

FilmDak Launch (a part of Groot Rotterdams Atelier Weekend)

Datum:
Locatie: The Orange Tree art projects (TOT)
https://tot-art.nl/news/filmdak-launch-screenings-during-graw-24

DIY Film Festival

Datum:
Locatie: WORM Rotterdam
https://worm.org/production/diy-film-fest/

Beam Night, Breda Photo Festival

Datum:
Locatie: 't Zoet
https://bredaphoto.nl/event/en_beamnight/

Fotodok Lighthouse 2024/2025

Datum:
Locatie: Fotodok
https://www.fotodok.org/dit-is-lighthouse-2024-2025/

Wanderings Inside A Waiting Room

Datum:
Locatie: Szczur Gallery

Anyone can become a migrant, medium, or stranger; driven by circumstances, encountering an uncertain future, and losing touch with their former selves in spaces altered by change. This exhibition, based on an open call for female and queer artists with migration experiences, reflects on migration as a unifying condition
Curators: Agnieszka Topolska, Liza Veselova, Natalia Grezina
Artists: Anastasia Shneps-Shneppe, Anna Rotaenko, Dasha Buben, Kristina Valenkova, Natalia Grezina, Panida Petchara

https://fb.me/e/2seDKGydk

CURRENTLY, CURRENTLY, CURRENTLY

Datum:
Locatie: V2_Institute for the Unstable Media

Master students of the Lens-Based Media programme at the Piet Zwart Institute invite you to their graduation show at V2 and WORM, Rotterdam.
We are here and we need to tell you something. CURRENTLY, CURRENTLY, CURRENTLY brings attention to urgent questions through the practice of moving image. Along 14 distinct works, each their own current, we explore personal, political and ecological concerns in the world we live in.
Currently, it has to do with all of us.

https://v2.nl/events/currently-currently-currently-pzi-graduation-show

(A) Questionnaire, EYE Research Labs 2023

Datum:
Locatie: EYE Filmmuseum
https://www.eyefilm.nl/en/whats-on/piet-zwart-institute-a-questionnaire/916277

A Collection of Urban Nothingness

Datum:
Locatie: Het Wilde Weten

An exhibition by Zheng Tianyi, collaborated with Beth Wong, Sojung Lee, and Te Petchara
(Site-specific at Het Wilde Weten Project Space Residency, Performance, Live Stream Projection, Found Objects, Zine) An ongoing project focused on collecting urban domestic waste and investigating people's travels and displacements.

https://artoffice.info/toekenning/a-collection-of-urban-nothingness-/

Flying Ideas

Datum:
Locatie: WORM Rotterdam
https://worm.org/production/flying-ideas/

As The Wind Passes By The Surface Of Your City, a part of "As if you could kill time without injuring eternity" organized by SOUPSPOON collective

Datum:
Locatie: RIB
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cwk3cH9Iqnp/

Something that

Datum:
Locatie: Space Place Gallery
https://www.instagram.com/p/CvXEmMzszQ1/?hl=en

Room For Sound

Datum:
Locatie: Willem de Kooning Academy
https://www.instagram.com/p/CraPfTLIB4Y/

FAKE ปลอม

Datum:
Locatie: CTypemag
https://www.ctypemag.com/exhibition/Fake
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