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With his works of Realism, Jaiko, or Weeraya Yamansabeedeen, is a new generation artist to keep an eye on. He brought up the issue of war utilizing Mickey Mouse cartoon characters as the major symbol to represent the superpowers. Jaiko’s images are sought after by collectors and reserved the minute they are sketched. Each image is realistically detailed and takes 3-4 months to complete. The price runs into hundreds of thousands per image.
His interest in the issue of war, violence and its impact on people stems from his experience with bullies in his childhood. From being taunted about his gender to trying to persuade his family to embrace his decision to be a transgender man, he is now in the final stages of his transition.
“At the age of 7, my family moved to a community in Bangkok and I was often bullied and physically abused by the local gangs of older children. They would wait for me in the front row. Parents thought it was a child’s play. At first I tried to avoid it, but in the end I couldn’t because I was bullied almost every day. I had to study boxing for self-defense till high school. I didn’t have any neighbors, so I stayed at home and spent that time drawing to distract myself from the pain of the moment,” Jaiko, 28, recalls a memorable childhood memory.
Jaiko learned that he liked painting after using drawings to heal his mind, and he chose to study fine arts in his fourth year of high school. He was determined to pass the entrance examinations to Silpakorn University and practiced hard before the entrance exam by drawing from 8 a.m. to 5 a.m. Finally, he got accepted into the Faculty of Painting to pursue his studies.
“One of my relatives works as a teacher. He constantly claimed to be the best government employee. What will you do after you finish your art degree? Will you be the one to write on the temple’s walls? So I was determined to pass the Silpakorn admission exam and show that I’m capable of succeeding in my chosen path. I would have lost my face if it weren’t for this since I broke up with my family in the middle of the night. A third gender needs to work more than everyone else to be accepted as good and normal,” the multi-talented artist explained.
War, Violence and Mickey Mouse
Since his time at Silpakorn University, Jaiko has been fascinated by the history of war and the creation of realistic oil paintings. By combining the content with the experiences of violence that they encountered in childhood to adolescence.
“I studied war history. Since the First World War, World War II, Cold War, Iraq War, civil wars such as Syria, and events of violence in our country such as October 6, October 14 and May, in the beginning we did not understand why superpowers had to intervene all the time. But when studying, I found that it was very detailed. They had mutual benefits but the lifestyles of those affected will surely change. The war never ends, it only transforms into a social and economic cold war. But there is no escaping the benefit.”
Before painting Jaiko will find a variety of images as references, such as actual scenes, equipment, military uniforms, units, and other finer details. He will then use Photoshop to reframe these elements according to the concept. I didn’t think much of it until I saw the photo. It was not only a drawing, this is a high-resolution sketch of Jaiko as well as a collector’s book.
“I use Mickey Mouse as a symbol of power. Because it is a cartoon character that is known all over the world. It has the power and was born after the First World War. It is an icon in the cartoon industry. In addition, the use of cartoon characters softens the image even when talking about war. In the cartoon world there is no real death, even if there is a violent scene, it doesn’t look violent. But in reality, violence is hidden in many forms.”
The Last Supper Soldier’s Last Supper
The Last Supper is the title of the latest series created by Jaiko since 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2022. It is also the context of the war. But it focuses more on human emotions than previous works. The idea comes from Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, a biblical event about the Last Supper of Jesus. Jaiko has taken The Last Supper as a keyword for his work that talks about military dinners before battle. They are divided into four themes: eating with family, with lovers, with friends, and on the battlefield.
“I completed the first painting in three months’ time, Last Christmas, of Mickey Mouse in an American soldier’s outfit eating with his family for Christmas before he goes to war. I chose the Christmas atmosphere because it is a day to gather members of the family and the birthday of Christ. So I drew a picture of Jesus joining the meal as well as Mickey Mouse’s friends Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse. This may be their last meal together. In this picture, the hardest thing to realistically draw is the yellow corn kernels, because they have to be painted as tiny grains, in a tone that almost blends in and has to look appetizing.”
Another finished image, titled Heavy Meal, depicts Mickey Mouse in an American soldier’s outfit having lunch with fellow soldiers on the battlefield, with a scene of tanks and bombs.
“In the picture I gave Mickey Mouse the rank of sergeant and tank driver based on the events of the Iraq war. I had to find a reference of the American military uniform worn during that period. The insignia of the military units that actually fought in the Iraq War used tanks and bombs. Mickey Mouse’s size is larger than normal to make it look like a person wearing a mascot, symbolizing something hidden under the mascot. I used to paint Mickey Mouse’s head on a Syrian soldier because I thought that in the end, neither American nor Syrian soldiers won.
As for the picture in this series that Jaiko is drawing that’s about 70% finished, it is a couple’s dinner in a sad atmosphere. In the photo, Mickey Mouse is seen in an Air Force uniform and a woman in a yellow dress is leaning over his shoulder.
“I wanted to get a picture of a woman with a sweet face but sad eyes to convey anxiety because she wasn’t sure if her lover would return from the battlefield. I went to search the Internet for pictures of this Irish actress, so I used her as a muse. Drawing portraits of women with hair is more difficult than men because it has to bring out a variety of feelings like tenderness and softness. This might be because I have no experience drawing female portraits.”
The need to be a Normal Man.
Jaiko said that since childhood, he liked to wear pants and play football, so he was always teased for being a tomboy. Which at the time had no idea what was wrong with him or why the people around him believed he was abnormal.
“I was born into a Muslim family. I was like this since elementary school and the people around me kept saying that this is a sin and has no future. I didn’t understand how it was a sin and how there could be no future when I studied hard until I went to high school. My mother asked me to not be a tomboy at all to change myself and sent me to an all-girls school.This actually made me realize that I like women. I didn’t say this to anybody because I knew what they would say. So I focused on school, stayed out of trouble, and tried to study well. My family and I didn’t talk about it even though they actually knew I had a girlfriend all along.
“I didn’t want to be born a woman at all.” When he got to university, he researched more on gender transition. After he graduated and sold one of his paintings from his thesis, he was able to pay off his debts and took that opportunity to come out to his mother. “Mom asked if I would do it until the last step. She was worried that I would not be able to live in society. I had to assure her that I could take care of myself. My mother was a bridge to talk to my father, but he did not say anything. I understand that it is difficult for parents to accept their children because there is pressure from peers and society on how to raise their children this way.”
Jaiko says that when you decide to have a sex change, you need to see 2 psychiatrists first to assess whether your mental state is really ready to change, and see a specialist to explain the steps in detail because once you go on, you can’t go back.
“I have a friend who is a Tomboy, She says transitioning is scary and she doesn’t want to be male. The doctor said we have to differentiate between sexual orientation and gender. I wanted to change my gender because I was suffering in a body that I didn’t want. I had to have testosterone injections for 3 years before having my breasts removed. Another side effect was having my voice break like a man, rough skin, and mood swings. Right now, I’m waiting to go into the 3rd step, which is to remove the uterus and stretch the urethra. Actually, I have to do the surgery but because of the pandemic, I had to postpone it. I’ll keep doing it until I get to the last phase, which I don’t want to get there in less than two years.”
Jaiko must be injected with testosterone for the rest of his life and regardless of the side effects. He said firmly that he never hesitated to go to the very end.
“I’m happy to be in the process of getting to what I want, which is to be a man. I encounter external problems such as when doing financial transactions but my ID card still indicates Ms. They don’t believe it’s me. Even when traveling abroad, I have to carry a certificate from a psychiatrist that states I am in the process of a gender transition.”
Gender-free art path
He was bullied throughout his childhood and teens. However, from his time at Silpakorn University’s Faculty of Painting through his time working in the art sector, Jaiko stated that gender was not a problem that people in the arts brought to his attention.
“I had the good fortune to attend the Faculty of Painting. Seniors and teachers both claim to desire to be anything they want to be. There was a lot of gender diversity in the painting majors. We didn’t feel isolated because everyone valued one other.”
Jaiko is currently one of nine artists in the group 333 Avengers under the contemporary gallery 333 Anywhere, which aims to nurture and support artists in the international gallery system.
“Most collectors still collect works of deceased Old Masters but young, talented artists are so unsupported that some have had to give up their work. So we have contracts with artists that we see as talented, have a commitment to art and have the same attitude as us. We provide representation and map out a clear work plan and marketing plan. We do not give a salary, but we assure each person that the average income is about 50,000 baht per month.
“Our goal is not for them to sell more images. It is about building a network and expanding the customer base both domestically and internationally in order to change ownership, which will increase the value of the work and eventually have their work included in a museum collection. ” Tharisa Vanichtheeranont, the executive of 333 Anywhere, said about the project to raise artists under the agency.
For the past two years, Jaiko has been a part of 333 Anywhere, where he and the gallery administrator share the goal of making art acceptable and included in the museum’s collection.
“The good thing is that we don’t have to worry too much about income. The events have customers and are booked all the time. But we put some pressure on ourselves because we want to work better. I don’t want to let go of my bad job. Some collectors have supported us since we were students. They know what our work concept is just by seeing the sketch, they book even though our work isn’t all about motivation,” said Jaiko.
In his work of realism, Jaiko admires the work of Norman Rockwell, many people may think that their style is similar.
“I can’t deny that I was inspired by the work of Norman Rockwell because he is an artist with a very beautiful perspective and composition. I also like Van Gogh and Picasso’s works, although they are not realists like me, but the mood and atmosphere in their pictures are special.
“Realistic painting is more difficult to communicate emotions rather than realism. There are many talented portrait painters, but how do they make the work look like us? I don’t have much technique other than a lot of practice. Patience is required as some of the details in the picture require very small brush strokes. I want to be better at drawing portraits of people. I’m not a smart person but I have patience.”
