Personal Space, 1997–1998
Public space is a shared domain governed by social agreements that regulate access, rights, and behaviour. While open to participation, it is never entirely free, as visible and invisible systems of control, expectation, and negotiation continuously shape individual actions.
Across different projects, Wantanee’s early practice repeatedly returned to questions of how individuals navigate these regulated environments, and how artistic gestures can operate within, against, or alongside institutional and social structures.
In contrast, the work also reflects a desire to construct spaces of personal autonomy—zones of thought, action, and vulnerability that exist beyond social prescription. These private territories function as temporary shelters, offering moments of self-determination and psychological security.
Understood as a form of “personal kingdom,” such spaces are not escapist retreats, but critical sites through which Wantanee examined freedom, constraint, and authorship. Through artistic practice, these tensions between public regulation and private agency are rendered visible, experiential, and open to reflection.
