On a trip to Bangkok two years ago, Yan Lei was amazed to find portraits of the monarchy in almost every home, in a sincere show of reverence and affection.

The Chinese artist has more recently been moved by the sight of Thais wearing yellow T-shirts in another demonstration of love for His Majesty the King.

Sculptor Watchara Prayoonkum is sometimes asked by foreign friends why Thais have such absolute loyalty to the King. He tells them he knows the reason, but can't explain it in words.

Now Yan Lei pays tribute of his own - and Watchara is trying to answer the question - in a joint exhibition at Bangkok's Tang Contemporary Art.

The exhibition takes its name, "9.09.2549: Centuries Re-Observed", from its opening date on the Buddhist calendar, with its pleasing blend of the auspicious number nine - also the King's number in the Chakri Dynasty.

Yan presents "photographic paintings" of the royals. He's accentuated official photo portraits of Their Majesties the King and Queen and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn with bands of colour.

"I wanted to express the attitudes of Thais," he says. "How do you project the graciousness and generosity of this society? The first attitude I noticed when I first came to Bangkok was the sureness of the Thai people towards the royal family."

Portraits from photos, banknotes and postcards are manipulated with computer software and brushstrokes applied. As with impressionist paintings, the closer one gets to the canvas, the more the image melts into dense and sticky chromatic blotches, yielding an overall effect rather than detail.

There are series of glowing outlines vibrating around the regal subjects, like colourful auras. The rich hues gradually deepen into infinity, expressing something of the nature of the power exuded by the royal family.

Watchara's sandstone sculpture of the King in a classic image - upcountry somewhere, map in hand, camera around his neck, making improvements in people's lives - stands against a wall bearing the same graduated aura.

"The sculpture is 60 centimetres high, representing the 60th anniversary of his accession to the throne," Watchara says.

"He is an ambitious man who not only comes up with innovative ideas but also acts as a role model. For example, when he began sailing, he learned a great deal about intricate physics, and even how to build a boat by himself."

Opposite is a steel gate, symbolising a rite of passage to the next sculpture. Here, at the border between earth and heaven, visitors must remove their shoes. They then encounter a five-by-five-metre box with a door, large enough to hold only one person.

The gate exterior is solid, but inside the floor is soft, the lighting dim and the walls blue, the colour of the monarchy.

At the centre is a 180-centimetre-tall bronze sculpture of the King in his court regalia, seated on a throne with a five-tiered prasat roof, Garuda figures at its base.

"The King is in our hearts. He's like a living god," Watchara says. "The throne pattern here is inspired by the royal throne Pratheenang Rashaindhayana, built in the reign of King Rama I. The design represents the celestial world atop Mount Meru, situated in the centre of the universe. The rocks on the ground around it allude to the allegiance of the Thai people."

Another humbling work of reverence from Watchara, who earned critical acclaim for his show at Silpakorn University last year, featuring realistic, life-size fibreglass sculptures of Van Gogh, Picasso, Dali, Rodin, the father of modern Thai art, Prof Silpa Bhirasri, and puppet master Sakorn Yangkeawsot.

Now, a statue of the King with eyes hidden behind shaded glasses, his hands grasped firmly.

"The way he holds his hands suggests that he still feels anxiety, his covered eyes show that he is always deliberate in his actions.

"His sculpture in this small room represents the status of the King in the hearts of Thais. From this room we can see the earlier, small sculpture of the King en suite - the man of the earth who devotes his life to his country and people."

This is not the first time Watchara has paid tribute to His Majesty's prestige. His 2002 solo show "From Heaven to Earth" was a room full of representational clay sculptures mainly inspired by pivotal milestones in the monarch's life.

"9.09.2549: Centuries Re-Observed" continues until October 9. The Tang Contemporary Art is on the lower level of Silom Galleria and is open Monday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 630 1114 or visit www.tangcontemporary.com.

Khetsirin Pholdhampalit

The Nation