Naraphat Sakathornsap Creates Flower Photography in Unexpected Spaces

Flowers are the central theme of Naraphat Sakathornsap’s work. Whether they’re photographed up close, arranged on human bodies, or growing from unexpected corners inside a home, flowers are everywhere in Sakathornsap’s images.

The Thai photographer describes flowers as a lifelong obsession. “Flowers have always played a big role ever since his very first memories. Many of his childhood pictures show a little boy with flowers in his hands,” Sakathornsap’s bio says.

In his latest series, Ignorant Bond, Sakathornsap situates flowers in domestic spaces that are often overlooked. As in his work Gushing out my confession, which framed nude male bodies with flowers to raise questions about gender presentation, this project explores how perceptions and reality inform each other.

Sakathornsap places sunflowers in a drain and hangs purple blooms from a rat trap. Hydrangeas seem to sprout from a bathmat while chrysanthemums bloom inside a fridge and roses adorn a household fan. The flowers in Ignorant Bond are unrealistically vibrant, made even more so by their placement in bland, domestic spaces. This juxtaposition between the real and the artificial is also a central theme of Sakathornsap’s work, which tends to raise more questions than it answers. The photographer says that the personal stories behind his images “are neatly hidden underneath what is presented.” Sakathornsap wants to keep the viewer guessing.

Find more of Naraphat Sakathornsap’s photography at his portfolio, built using Format.