Sunny Leerasanthanah (b. Bangkok, Thailand) observes how notions of time, place, identity, loss, and affinity are embodied, especially via slippage, repetition, liminality, and limitations. Past and ongoing works include prompting strangers to roleplay and hold conversation in character; inviting people to express the collective imaginary on various topics through sketching and speech; examining narratives around immigration within the context of U.S. invasive species policy; documenting sand patterns created by foraging crabs; mining and rearranging archival video footage; binding perishable paper; and studying iconography in souvenir fridge magnets.
Sunny works expansively across moving images, photographs, installation, performance, books, and prints. They are a recipient of the Artists Alliance Inc. LES Studio Program (2024), Center for Book Arts Residency (2023), Image Text Workshop Residency (2023), Fire Island Artist Residency (2022), Queens Council on the Arts New Work Grant (2021), Rehearsal Residency (2018), and Ithaca College’s James B. Pendleton Grant (2015). They have exhibited at Smack Mellon (NY), John Michael Kohler Arts Center (WI), SculptureCenter (NY), Lubov (Projects) (NY), Local Project Art Space (NY), and Handwerker Gallery (NY), among other spaces. They have spoken on panels at Candice Madey Gallery (NY), Soho Photo Gallery (NY), and more.
Sunny received an MA from Teachers College at Columbia University, and a BFA from Ithaca College. Alongside their primary artistic practice, they enjoy creating photographic portraits. They currently live in Brooklyn, New York.
The LES Studio Program is supported in part by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.