opening reception of the ethics of encounter, GALLERY SOULFLOWER 16TH AUGUST 2008

Submitted by Tipkritta Chiraporncharas on August 19th, 2008

The Ethics of Encounter
Contemporary Art from India and Thailand

Ranbir Kaleka
Vidya Kamat
Manjunath Kamath
Sudsiri Pui-Ock,
Navin Rawanchaikul
Pinaree Sanpitak
Rirkrit Tiravanija
Chintan Upadhyay.

Curated by Pandit Chanrochanakit with Brian Curtin,
Gallery Soulflower, Basement Level, Silom Galleria, Bangkok
16 August – 27 September 2008.

Opening Reception and Book Launch:
Saturday, 16 August 2008, from 6.30pm
RSVP: Ms. Rung +662 630 0032

Pinaree Sanpitak will host a special event titled 'Breaking the Ice' for the opening reception.

Gallery Soulflower is delighted to announce an ambitious and provocative showcase of some of the best contemporary art from India and Thailand. A book detailing the work of the artists and the critical issues raised by their juxtaposition will be launched simultaneously.

India and Thailand have a long history of exchange and integration, yet both countries retain a strong sense of autonomy. This dichotomy between mutual influence and issues of authentic individuality is highlighted in our global age. On the one hand, we are told that trans-national circuits are more pervasive than ever but, on the other, we are regularly made aware of often violent expressions of cultural integrity and national identity.

The Ethics of Encounter stages a relationship between Thailand and India in terms of a seemingly simple but nevertheless complex claim: one should not expect an 'other' to perform the way one expects. The question "Who am I?" in terms of cultural and national identity becomes heightened when one is faced with who we think we are not. However, rather than addressing issues of 'Thai-ness' and 'Indian-ness', curator Pandit Chanrochanakit with critic Brian Curtin seek to present this particular encounter as a means of challenging and subverting broader expectations of cultural and national differences. Questions of translation, transference and transformation may be extrapolated to the contemporary contexts of globalism and internationalism. How do we define what is different from 'us' in the current era?

The Ethics of Encounter showcases a variety of media and methods, from video and painting to performance and relational aesthetics. In keeping with Gallery Soulflower's concern to engage the best of contemporary art in the region, the artists included range from the internationally celebrated to the locally lauded and the emergent.

Gallery Soulflower
309, The Silom Galleria, Soi Silom 19, Silom Road, Bangkok 10500, Thailand.
Phone: + 66-26300032, 860821573, 870302491
Fax: +66-26300032
info@gallerysoulflower.com
http://www.gallerysoulflower.com/

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