Thanawat Numcharoen was born and grew up in Srisaket, a province located in the plateau of Isaan, Northeastern Thailand. He graduated with a degree in fine arts from the Department of Painting, Sculpture, and Graphic Arts at Silpakorn University.
Thanawat works with many mediums, depending on what is suitable and required of each work. Thanawat is interested in the socio-political aspect of how humans interact with the world around them. He explores the theme through the speculative imaginations of storytelling,myths, as well as strange creatures and objects that are overlapped like layers of soil. The ambiguity and incredibility of these fictional approaches are the qualities with whichThanawat makes sense of human’s worldview, beliefs, and the truth that may not exist in the first place and could be more incredible that fiction itself. In 2021, Thanawat presented ‘This room is too small for many people’ in a group exhibition, ‘The Place of Memories’ at SAC Gallery. This work presents the ontological representations through the peculiar and transient nature of the exhibited objects. In the same year, Thanawat’s ‘Silkroad Monsters’ was included in another group exhibition titled ‘Crypto for Cryptids’ at JWD Art Space.
'Silkroad Monsters’ could be considered his earlier explorations into the exchange, flux, and flow of stories which shape the forms of monsters along the Silk Road.In 2023, Thanawat had his first solo exhibition, ‘Arcane Plateau’ at Prachachee Library hosted by Speedy Grandma. The artworks in the exhibition were expanded from the novel of the same name that he wrote. Collected stories, folklore, mythology, legends, and local history scattered around the northeast of Thailand were reconstructed to find the possibility of understanding stories, mythology, and history.In 2024, his paintings were curated in the group exhibition ‘Allegory of the Cave Part I & II’ at Phannarai Building, Art Centre, Silpakorn University (Wangthapra). This exhibition showcases the works of old master Thai artists alongside the works of emerging artists. Most recently, his paintings were selected in the group exhibition ‘Surin’, an exhibition for the grand opening of Tars Unlimited art space. Currently, Thanawat works and resides in Bangkok.