Michal SMANDEK Samrit Residency, Thailand 02.07-15.07.2025 Participation in the residency offered me a unique and, from a European perspective, truly exotic opportunity to contribute to the creation of a wax sculpture for the Buddhist Candle Festival Hia Tien Phansa. Together with a team of Thai artists, I co-created a monumental sculptural installation which, built on a moving platform, left the workshop space of Wat Mai Pratu Chai temple to travel through the streets of Phi

​Samrit is a place in which art isn’t needed. In the meanwhile, art is within the life there. The art of being attached to lands; The art of sensing weather; the art of approaching time; the art of communicating with people. The local people’s way of understanding reality is beyond verbal language, which is a beautiful piece of live art itself. ​Because of the connection from Samrit residency, I’ve got insights about Isaan culture by participating to family events. I was im

When my father died I decided to make a film about him. It sounds simple but it wasn’t. To be able to carry out the project I needed to stay in Isaan, because I truly wanted to experience what he experienced in the last part of his life. My dad lived in a village in northeast of Thailand and that’s also where his life ended, very far from Sweden. I knew he loved this area and I wanted to understand why. I didn’t get the chance to visit him these last years, I was busy with my

​ There is something here that transcends life. People always fear changes and find themselves stuck in a clockwork mechanism. Slowly but inevitably. And then one day they look at their routine, at themselves and wonder what happened, where is their future, what went wrong, when exactly it all turned. What about their dreams, their passion. This place is no paradise, is not perfect nor close to it, tradition, mindset, lifestyle. It is primitive and simple. But there is some s

Phaptawan Suwannakudt at Sam Rit Residency December 2016 I arrived in Sam Rit residency with no plan and expectation. I basically allowed climate, surroundings and people in the community who went on with their daily routine to have governed my pace. I observed rhythm of life within the culture through which I explored local histories. During the four weeks in Sam-Rit my activities involved the followings: - Visits to historical sites which included Historical burial site,

I feel very honoured and proud to be one of a growing list of Artist residents to have experienced Sam Rit. Before I left, I was asked curiously by several friends and family - What is a residency? I described the opportunity as a unique time and space to contemplate and respond creatively to a new and fresh environment. It would be an opportunity to revive, inspire and nurture my artistic goals that all too often becomes clouded and jaded with daily distractions. I was co

​ My stay at Sam Rit Residency was a challenging yet rewarding experience which allowed me to improve my skills as a musician and write in solitude. Coming from a big city like Sydney, being alone in a small village is a contrast let alone one in a completely different country! Lindsay and Art kindly picked me up from my hostel in Bangkok which was a mid-way transition to what Lindsay referred to as “the real Thailand”. In our car trip he bought a McDonalds hamburger stating

​To be offered the opportunity to do an artist residency overseas was incredible, not in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought something like this would happen to me. I was a stay a home wife and mother for over twenty years, when my children had grown up I studied high school art and started creating, exhibiting and teaching craft based art using predominately recycled materials. I have travelled very little, going overseas a few times with my husband, never on my own

​When I arrived to Sam Rit Residency I felt like I have been here before. The reflected light from the windows on the floor received me, also the wind moving memories from other artists who came here before me. Sam Rit is not like other Artist Residency, it is a place not only for producing art works but a place to live, share and celebrate. The Village is a beautiful and peaceful place, from the old inhabitants to the cute children, everybody smiles, everybody greets and eve

Upon arrival it became instantly apparent from first meeting Art this was going to be an experience of a lifetime as I became a subject to a receptive welcoming. Art was great fun, one of the kindest and selfless people I’ve ever met, a true friend and great guy. He made me feel so welcome and comfortable from the get go. Driving to the residency really got me excited as it was starting to settle in I was here and able to have access to resources and locations I never would o

I remember every second lived in Samrit, because it was the most magical time of my life. I had never felt so alive, I had never been so full, I had never been so happy. When I landed at Suvarnabhumi International Airport my heart was pounding, was beginning my life experience, it was real. When I entered the terminal was lost, but we must recognize that all airports are alike, you walk ... you walk ... you walk ... you walk ... and there is a huge queue waiting for me at the

That was my first experience in Asia and an artist residency. At first I did not know what to expect from either of them. But incredibly quickly I adapted to this small village in northeastern Thailand. The time I was in residence made me produce, reflect, renew, inspire, transform and learn a lot about my own work. There were so many photographs that I lost count. Projects that I did not know what direction would lead I had the opportunity to complete with new ideas. There,

Samrit is so cool, I mean it's hot, but chill. Jordan and I made a daily routine of walking around the countryside and I spend the rest of my time sketching and taking photos. We are fast friends with Jin, the woman who owns the shop across the street where we eat our meals, Art, the program director at Samrit, and Alba, the other resident artist from Madrid. Art and Jin generously invite us to do all sorts of things and are open, curious and I enjoy their sense of humor. Alb

'I feel very humbled to have had the opportunity to come here and meet the locals, they have inspired happiness within myself as they endlessly try to reach out to us, welcoming us to their way of life' - Lisa Scrimgeour, Scotland

I found my time spent at Sam Rit to be very rewarding, in an artistic and a social, personal sense. Coming from a full on job as a regional Gallery Coordinator, where long days and many daily meetings were the norm, to easing into a much slower pace with totally my own schedule, and only a few people to talk to was just what I needed. Reflecting back on my 2 weeks, I miss the daily heartbeat of the small village of Sam Rit with its patterns of life, like the daily varied and

During my stay at Sam Rit residency, I worked on a project that involved the children of the village. They wrote sentences about their way of life, that I illustrated in black and white drawings. It was an interesting way to connect two different cultures around the same creative project. I am preparing two different exhibitions from this, back in France. I entitled the project "In my village". I am very happy with this experience. I visited Thailand for several months but st

I recently spent a month at the Sam Rit residency and it was a truly eye opening and amazing experience. The village is rural and gorgeous as well as teaming with life. The staff are incredibly accommodating and are eager to understand and learn from you just as much as you want to learn from them. The people of the village as well are happy and extremely pleasant. English is a foreign language here but the people are happy to try and communicate and relate in any way possibl

It was a long journey to Thailand and the Sam Rit village from Prague, Czech Republic as I had many problems on the way with an airline company, but I forgot everything in a short time when I got to the Sam Rit Residency and meet with some wonderful people, the climate, food and culture and it was then I took a deep breath of relief. The beautiful warm sun was shining on me every day and the Thai people were trying to make me as happy as their sun. I felt that definitely they

Hot sun, warm welcomes from warm hearts, and, at the residency, warm showers - a luxury in rural Thailand. Great to continue creative energy with only the patio between sleep, kitchen, and studio. Seemingly endless miles of rice fields, roads traversing, flat and great for cycling. Exploring village, flowers and fresh food everywhere, spectacular birds and butterflies, waves, smiles, and winding tracks that continue for ever. We stayed over New Year so there were party i