Still Life features the hands of a child protruding from a wall, holding a breathing sparrow. The lifelike bird stands in contrast against the white-lacquered, sculptural hands. The bird is an animatronic reproduction that palpitates and gasps for breath with the subtle movements of a wounded bird. With its outstretched hands, Still Life appears to directly address the audience, appealing to us to do something. However, we cannot intervene and remain powerless. In this sense, this piece is related to Elmgreen & Dragset’s so-called denial works—pieces that seem to invite interaction, but ultimately leaves the audience in the role of the frustrated voyeur. Well-known examples of denials include the forever-closed Prada Marfa, and Powerless Structures, Fig. 11, a diving board penetrating the windowpane at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark.

Elmgreen & Dragset have worked together as an artist duo since 1995. They have held numerous solo exhibitions at art institutions worldwide including at the Kunsthalle Praha (2023-24), Centre Pompidou-Metz (2023-24), Fondazione Prada (2022), and the 53rd Venice (2009). This is their second participation in the Bangkok Art Biennale. Their first participation was in 2020 where the 8-metre-high outdoor sculpture stands majestically in front of the East Asiatic Building and by the Chao Phraya River.