At the age of 18, Nat* was sent to prison. During his seven years in jail, his mother was the only person who visited him. Two months after Nat was released from prison, his mother tested positive for Covid-19. She died soon after. In a letter to his late mother, Nat promised to ordain as a monk for her and never stray again.
Nat's handwritten letter to his mother and a photo of a wooden bench which was her favourite spot are featured in the photo exhibition "Closure", created by Ekkarat Punyatara, a photographer for National Geographic Thailand.
During the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand, Ekkarat's work included capturing images of a volunteer group called Zendai, which helped countless Covid-19 victims. Ekkarat noticed that whenever Zendai arrived at a house of a Covid-19 patient, the relatives who were desperate because they had no one to turn to felt a big sense of relief.
Ekkarat himself witnessed several cases in which people lost their loved ones to the coronavirus.
"During the pandemic, many patients were hospitalised and passed away without their families being with them during their final moments. Due to public health measures to limit the spread of the virus, cremations were organised in a shorter time frame than usual. This left a lot of families with feelings of unresolved grief. They began to question the government healthcare system and even themselves. They wondered if they had done something wrong and, if they had done things differently, would their loved ones still be alive?" Ekkarat said.
"It is sad to not have your loved ones around any more. Saying goodbye is crucial. If you have a chance to say goodbye, you probably could move on. If not, you may feel unresolved, so I decided to work on this exhibition."
The exhibition personalises each Covid-19 victim in the same way as Nat did for his mother, by using a photo of the deceased person's favourite place and a handwritten note from his or her loved one. The depiction of an LGBTI couple includes a photo of their bedroom which shows mats, blankets, pillows and electric fans. Nareerat expressed her love to her partner, Mam, in a handwritten note saying she wished Mam were still here to live with her as before.
"Everything in this case took place in a few days. After her Covid-infected partner was sent to hospital, Nareerat was instructed by the hospital to follow up on her partner's condition via phone only. However, healthcare workers did not give her a clear explanation of her partner's situation, and instead said something that upset her. She still has many unanswered questions about what happened," said the photographer.
Although Ekkarat's preference is to photograph people, he decided to present the deceased's favourite locations in the exhibition because he believes that relatives will view photos of those spots differently from other people.
"These photos depict the situation of the second wave of Covid-19 when many patients died, but the government and organisations under the Ministry of Public Health could not handle it and take care of each case individually. The deceased's relatives will always see their loved ones in those spots, but other people will not see them. The exhibition highlights the contrast between the visible and invisible aspects of that period," he said.
The exhibition displays other photos alongside the favourite spots, with Ekkarat explaining he wanted viewers to interpret the additional images and how they link to the main ones.
"These photos are not photojournalism, which features who, what, why, when, where or how. I took the photos in the areas nearby the main photo. I was interested in photos that were a matter of emotion. Viewers have to interpret these photos themselves."
As a documentary photographer, Ekkarat has a keen eye for capturing inherently narrative-driven scenes taken from well-chosen perspectives, something that sets him apart from other photographers. He is widely known for his exhibition "2013 Personal" wherein he followed and photographed four Buddhist monks in New York for a year in 2009/10. Some amount of controversy ensued, for instance from his photo of a monk drinking a Starbucks beverage, which was criticised because people considered it to be an expensive drink. However, in New York it's just a regular beverage.
"I was in New York trying to figure out what kinds of subjects I should choose for my photos. I decided to visit a temple, and I found it to be interesting. It looked like a house and was located next to a Catholic church. I, for one, am someone who has never liked seeing monks walking in Pantip Mall. But working on this project helped me to understand more about Buddhism. I used to respect monks because of their purity, but after the project, I came to respect monks more as students of Lord Buddha. The project helped me see that people have different circumstances, and it enabled me to view others in a more varied and understanding way," said Ekkarat.
"Closure" is not the first project Ekkarat has worked on relating to death. He's been interested in death as a subject for his art ever since missing the chance to give a proper farewell to his grandfather, who passed away when the artist was in New York. Before "Closure", Ekkarat created a photo-documentary as part of a palliative care project. During the project, he witnessed someone die in front of him.
"While I was taking photographs of the person who had just passed away, I suddenly questioned what I was doing, especially when I found myself standing on a chair to capture the moment surrounded by crying relatives. I had to remind myself that my purpose was to convey information through my photos," Ekkarat said.
After working on several projects about death, he realised that death is not just about a person who has passed away; it is also about the people who are left behind and have to move on with their lives. He's come to better acknowledge that time is valuable and he likewise values people around him more.
While making "Closure", he hoped participants would express their inner feelings through each handwritten letter to loved ones. One writer said the death of his loved one had brought out many questions regarding the healthcare system. The writer said that if there had been better healthcare treatment, his beloved, who was only 32, would never have passed away.
Ekkarat further hopes the exhibition will serve as a reminder of and caution about the Covid crisis.
"Reminding people of what they lost may be beneficial if viewers understand the meaning and take action to prevent similar situations from happening again."
* not his real name
"Closure" runs at VS Gallery on Narathiwat Ratchanakharin 22 until April 2. Admission is free. For more information, go to facebook.com/VSGalleryBangkok and facebook.com/ekkaratpunyataraphotography.
