Thai artist faces criticism for painting with dinosaur fossil pigment
Online uproar questions line between artistic freedom and scientific preservation
A Thai artist and social media influencer was recently criticised online for using colours made from dinosaur fossil fragments in her paintings.
The artwork by Thai artist Darisa “Pahn” Karnpoj, better known as Reity, drew widespread attention online following a post by X user @TMtheEQplusNerd. The user shared screenshots from a YouTube video on Pahn’s channel with the caption…
“Oh please Don’t grind dinosaur fossil as paint for your art even if the bone is fragmentary.”
The screenshots showed Pahn grinding a dinosaur fossil into pigment and using it to paint two artworks. One depicted a female figure wearing a dinosaur bone on her head, while the other portrayed the same character lying among fossil remains.
The post ignited online debate, with Thai and foreign users flooding the comments section to share their opinions on whether using valuable fossils for art was appropriate. Comments included…
“I’m so pissed off. Why can’t they paint with a brush or draw with a pencil or chalk or anything but this?”
“The worst thing is that it barely works as paint.”
“This is fine. It’s scrap fragments of bone with no scientific value.”
“Didn’t the museum collaborate with her…?”
In response to the controversy, Pahn deleted the video from her YouTube channel and later came forward to clarify her position, explaining that her work was created in collaboration with Museum Pier, a private museum in Bangkok owned by Piriya Vachajitpan.
Pahn stated that Piriya is both an art and fossil collector who has supported palaeontology for more than 30 years. She insisted that every stage of her creative process had been approved by the relevant government authorities.
According to Pahn, the fossils she used were leftovers from legitimate auctions and were too damaged for scientific study. Her aim, she said, was to use them artistically to highlight the beauty and value of nature, without destroying anything of historical importance.
She added that she was one of several artists involved in the project. Another artist, she said, used fossil fragments to create an amulet, also with approval from the museum and relevant departments. In a statement reported by Bright TV, Pahn addressed her critics saying…
“Many dramas are not based on facts but rather distortions of information. I just want to create art in peace and open new perspectives for people to learn more about the world of fossils.”
According to Bangkok Art City, the project is part of the Thainosaur Exhibition, held at Museum Pier from July 1 to November 2. In addition to Pahn’s works, the exhibition showcases other artists’ creations, as well as genuine fossils, dinosaur models, and scientific displays for visitors to explore.
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