All this talk about a coup has the country's generals pointing fingers at each other, so art-lovers might as well get in on the act by visiting Porntaweesak Rimsakul's new show at 100 Tonson Gallery.

Your helmet is waiting for you.

The 27-year-old who previously galloped reptilian teapots on pony legs and made cigarette cartons chatter about the perils of smoking is considerably more serious now, as are the times we live in.

Set aside, for now at least, is the interactive humour of Barbie dolls and blenders. The Bangkok gallery is a combat zone.

His piece "Follow Me" is a series of military helmets that roam around the floor rather menacingly. Visitors control their movement by wired-up remotes, and they can also support the troops at the front by purchasing "bullets" in the form of batteries. Proceeds from the sales go to the Rangsit Home for Babies.

"You see the used helmets placed among ruins, as if they've either expired or are unusable," says Porntaweesak, a Silpakorn University post-graduate. "Yet they're not only filled with emotional impact, they can stimulate the imagination in the way they relate to the army. You can consider the responsibilities of being under a commander, for example.

"You don't just simply observe - anyone can command the helmets. It also looks like they're leading a pet around."

His previous works provoked chuckles, but seeing a field of damaged helmets scattered about can trigger gloomy thoughts of loss and death. Porntaweesak isn't thinking about Thai politics at all: This show is an acute reminder that the whole world is awash in war.

"When I was a child I loved to play soldier, dividing my friends into teams and turning the playground into a battlefield, using natural objects as weapons," he says.

"I wanted to revisit those childhood experiences and use these old helmets and invite everyone to act as the commander in this battle realm."

"Nobody Move" is an arrangement of 25 helmets atop a dais. You have to climb a ladder and pick one - as though you're choosing the strongest soldier.

"In Chinese ink-brush paintings, humans are depicted as tiny figures in huge landscapes, showing respect for the power of nature. But these days humans want more power, so I'm giving them control."

Just the same, the "Nobody Move" helmets crawl around on their own battery power, reversing direction when they bump into something.

"Soldiers are always associated with discipline and taking orders," the artist says, "but I believe they have their own thoughts, so I've made helmets that avoid battle rather than follow the leader.

"There are no winners in war - we're all losers."

Elsewhere, Porntaweesak has set up a combat zone called "RGB's War". It has 10 remote-controlled helmets on a white canvas board, roaming among tiny plastic houses that are filled to the brim with paint in various colours.

"You can use the controls, but you don't know which helmet you're controlling because I tuned all the radio frequencies alike. You might notice that when you lose control, you can inflict damage on others."

When a helmet strikes a house, it spills its paint over the canvas. The process is not unlike making an abstract painting, but it's as cruel as combat.

"The inability to control the helmets is like the miscommunication that causes war," Porntaweesak says.

One of 40 artists involved in the Thai arts festival "Tout a fait Thai 2006" in Paris, which opened yesterday and continues until October 30, Porntaweesak will show his "Dinosaurs" teapots with pony legs and tails.

Visitors to the festival, which has been mounted by the Culture Ministry, will also see his "Angel on Tour", steamer baskets stacked on a terracotta stove like a multi-stage rocket awaiting lift-off.

But for the Parisians, he's created something special: a "rat house" that projects a video of the city's subway passengers at rush hour.

Khetsirin Pholdhampalit

The Nation

The show at 100 Soi Tonson, off Ploenchit Road, continues until October 29, Thursday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 684 1527 or visit 100tonsongallery.com.