Sophirat Muangkum

I had followed Sophirat’s photography for several years and often showed her work to students interested in nude or intimate portraiture. It was only later that we began talking directly, and I started to know the person behind the photographs rather than only the artist.

Sophirat is known for portraits and nudes that explore people’s stories and cultures, and she also sometimes places herself in front of the camera. For this project, she invited me into something even more personal: the childhood memories and family environments that had shaped her.

Her parents separated when she was young, and during her teenage years she moved between two homes until her father died. We began at her mother’s metal workshop and her grandmother’s home in Minburi, where I photographed Sophirat with her mother.

Later, we spent time at her father's place. We projected some of his photographs in the room where he passed away, bringing him back for a moment. We also took shots in his abandoned factory, a place where her memories still linger.