Book Description

Underground film-maker Mark Hejnar lived in Thailand for four years, during which time he relentlessly explored the far reaches of the kingdom taking thousands of photographs along the way. Hejnar's interest lay not in Thailand's bars, beaches and other tourist attractions, but in its stunning range of indigenous art, icons and architecture which lies, hidden in plain sight, just beyond the beaten path. From religious folk-paintings to infernal torture sculptures, from half-buried gods in temple cave complexes to the spectral dolls who beckon from derelict spirit houses, Hejnar has captured a revelatory world of the marvelous and the monstrous, showing how Thailand's religions, myths and art are inextricably bound together. SECRET SIAM presents over 300 of Hejnar's rich photographic images, reproduced in full size and full-colour throughout, accompanied by a series of concise explanatory texts. It stands as a unique visual introduction to one of the world's most fascinating and yet seldom explored artistic cultures.