Do you feel like a kid trapped in a maze, or perhaps like a tourist in Japan, when you go to an art gallery? The art world scares some of us to the point that we forget about all the creativity and beauty that goes into it. But there’s no need to be afraid—or intimidated. Artists are not aliens and galleries aren’t castles in the sky. To help put you at ease, BK has enlisted the services of a group of influential players, up-and-comers and groundbreaking personalities to help us better understand the local art scene. So the next time you’re browsing through our weekly list of exhibitions, you’ll find it easier to identify which ones might appeal to you.
Behind the art scene
One person with particular significance in the Thai contemporary art scene is Gridthiya Gaweewong, a curator who is best known as a founder of Project 304, along with her friends and co-founders like Apichatpong Weerasthakul and Michael Shaowanasai. Together, they turned Gridthiya’s apartment into a laboratory for eccentric
artists, and while Project 304 currently possesses no permanent space, the movement has continued. Gridthiya has climbed the art ladder to the top and is now the artistic director at Jim Thompson Art Center. We spoke to her in her office on Soi Kasemsan 2 and visited the exhibition center next door.
Paint Yourself
I had never worked in a full-time position before Jim Thompson. I’m not married to the center, though. Being a curator is a science; you need to know art history and have specialized knowledge. Mine is contemporary art; when it comes to traditional art, I’m at a loss.
Art Is?
Regardless of its form, art is and will be the only thing left standing in history from humanity. Brick and concrete will eventually be gone, but art will remain to display the greatness of human achievement, like the cave art at Pha Taem. I’m drawn to people who change history. One of the Thai artists who has defied the world’s art history is Rirkrit Tiravanija. He’s debunked all the theories, Dada or whatever, and he has succeeded and gained acceptance worldwide.
Recommended Spaces?
Jim Thompson Art Center has a great location and people have a different kind of experience when they come here. If you go to the museum, you’ll see history and antique collections. The art center has shows that meet an international standard; you don’t see many exhibitions of this quality in Thailand. We are funded by the foundation, so we can afford to be non-commercial. The new William Warren Library is also free and we want Thai people to come. You can come to read—it’s like a Starbucks with free wifi, except without the coffee.
If there is one university that loves and cares about contemporary art, it’s Bangkok University Gallery. They always promote young artists. The new space they moved into is a bit hard to get to but has a very nice atmosphere. The white-box building is great; it serves well as a gallery because it’s not architecturally showy but instead accentuates the works of the exhibited artists. A good art space has to be like that, very neutral. There’s only natural light there and it’s very bright, which can actually be a challenge for curators or exhibition designers when they want to show art which requires darkness.
I also like the Chulalongkorn University Art
Center. At first glance, it seems like they put the
gallery in the wrong place—on the seventh floor of the library building, requiring visitors to pass through strict security. But once you get there, it seems completely separated from the busy library downstairs. The room here is also a challenge for curators because the corners and angles are strange; it’s not really rectangular. It’s fun to do an exhibition design there, and at night the balcony view is breathtaking.
Dek-naew art
If you ask dek naews or young art lovers what magazine they read, Freeform will likely be mentioned. The Thai-language magazine covers art and culture with a focus on the Thai indie scene. The founder and editor, Surachai Pingchaiyaphum, tells us he’s not good at selling advertisements. though, and the magazine is only surviving due to newsstand sales.
Paint Yourself
I’m a guy who tries to make a magazine that he really likes. I like a magazine with meaty content, but when it wants to be silly, it can totally be that as well. Freeform is lively and easy to understand, but some say it’s a dek naew magazine and too hard to understand. I try to make it an easy read since most Thais keep their distance from art. When the word “gallery” is mentioned, they feel like they don’t belong. So we’re trying to make a magazine that brings people closer to art.
Art Is?
Art is the thing that reflects beauty, I think. Whether it’s a scenic painting or a scary picture of someone’s bashed head, it both portrays beauty and delivers a message.
Recommended Spaces?
I like to attend opening parties at Tadu Contemporary Art. Jim, the gallery director, is nice. Tadu is spacious and contemporary, it accommodates various kinds of art and is open to young artists. The gallery provides free coffee, too. People say Tadu is far from everything, but I think if you like something, it’s not too far. Distance is just an excuse.
WhiteSpace Art Gallery is small, but I like that it’s not commercial. I don’t mean to say that commercial galleries are not good, but non-commercial ones can serve as space for no-name artists. WhiteSpace is open to experimental art. I still wonder how they can survive because I don’t think they sell much—I should ask them one day why they do it and what they do it for.
I think Jim Thompson Art Center is very interesting. I’m also interested in Jim Thompson’s life. I think he had great taste—look at his collections. The exhibitions here mix tradition and contemporary arts and some of the objects are priceless, like yantra by Phraya Pichai Daab Hak. The venue is great, too, I wish I had an office like that. It’s natural, classic and artistic.
Lady on the scene
There are very few female artists in the Thailand art scene and hardly any successful ones. This year, though, Pinaree Sanpitak became the first female to win the Silpathorn Award, a sign of achievement that artists dream of in Thailand. She’s a full-time artist and is widely known for her use of feminine symbols; focusing on breasts, in particular. She guided us to 100 Tonson and Jim Thompson, which are both near where she lives. She also took us to the Jim Thompson Café where her breast-inspired stupa-like desserts are available. Edible artwork is certainly less intimidating.
Paint Yourself
I’m not only a painter; I sculpt and create installations, too. I have fun doing installation work because this allows the audience to be a part of my work. Like in the show, Noon Nom, I played with the texture of my installations, inviting people to touch it. I feel art can be touched.
Art Is?
A medium of expression. It’s a kind of language. Each person is fluent in one’s own language, and I’m good in the language of art.
Recommended Spaces?
100 Tonson Gallery welcomes young and new faces artists like Yuree Kensakul. I like the space and usually their shows are great.
Jim Thompson is very convenient to go to, you jump off the BTS and then it’s a short walk away. There is a variety of things to do there; you can eat, see the house or visit the exhibition center. Each exhibition lasts for a while, which is good as it gives people more of a chance to see the art.
I don’t go to About Café very often anymore. But I always think of it as the place that contributed to great changes in the Thai art scene. About 10 years ago it was a hub for artists and art lovers to get together for a drink and talk. Now they have a permanent exhibition. I also like the exterior and interior there: they adapted the space from an old building and it’s beautiful.
The writer
If you want to know something about art in Bangkok, Steven Pettifor is a person you should speak with. Known at every gallery and by many artists, Pettifor is primarily recognized as an art critic, although he is a curator and an artist himself. Apart from his written contributions to Asian Arts News and BAM! (Bangkok Art Map), many artists and galleries have hired him to write the text for their art catalogues and press releases.
Paint Yourself
I write about and organize exhibitions. I also went to art school myself. But there has been more demand for my services and more people who want me to write for them. I also have just launched the book Flavors–Thai Contemporary Art, published by Thavibu Gallery.
Art Is?
Anything can be art. It depends on how you package it and dress it up, I guess. I don’t really know what art is; art can be everything and anything. I get a gut reaction from some art. I just don’t like art that, after walking out of a gallery, you forget about in two minutes.
Recommended Spaces
I’m in the position where I can’t favor one gallery more than the others. And the most important thing for me when I go to a gallery is not its atmosphere, but the show. So I’ll pick three galleries that are having good shows this month. At Teo+Namfah Gallery, this month they have something called SCAPES: Trace & Scar by Adam Nadel. There are photos of landscapes, waterscapes, along with vandalized posters from the New York subways and pictures of the fires from 9/11 taken from his apartment with a micro lens. Nadel is a famous award-winning photojournalist. So this is quite different for him to do something more conceptual and thematic.
I would also pick H Gallery because I like its September show featuring a Cambodian rattan sculptor, Sopheap Pich. You don’t see much Cambodian art in Bangkok, so it’s interesting to see what’s going on with our SEA neighbors sometimes. And usually H Gallery features wall-based works, but this time it’s mainly floor-based.
For the last three or four years, 100 Tonson Gallery has put on some of the most interesting shows. And the owner is very open to having her own gallery transformed in a dramatic way, and I like that. I curated the current show Confectionaries & Conurbations where Chila Kumari Burman mixes personal history with contemporary Indian advertisements. A lot of her works are about female identity as a British Indian woman. And I put her together with Tiffany Chung. Tiffany’s works are more about the development of the Asian cities at the moment in relation to Saigon. Despite the humor, the colors and the pop, their works are quite serious underneath, but are delivered in a kind of entertaining way.
Art for the party set
If you love to go to parties, it’s likely you’ve seen this artist group and its works. B.O.R.E.D. creates hip and colorful graphics for magazines and events. Even though the members aren’t veteran artists, B.O.R.E.D. has been gaining more recognition in the art circle. Its works are featured in many design resources like CG+ magazine and Project Zero. Also: So::On, In On Out or at Dude/Sweet. We caught up with Porachon Sathanon, or Por, a member of the group, at Hof Art, where he admits that the drinks at the opening parties are as attractive as the art and the venues.
Paint Yourself
I’m a senior exhibition designer. B.O.R.E.D. is comprised of people who work in the design business, and most of us have routine jobs. We get bored with that, though, so we get together to work on the things that are non-commercial. And, of course, we love to party. Art doesn’t have to only be in a gallery, you know—if you force it to be here or there, then art is not pure anymore. I’m also doing another project with another group of friends. The group SAD (Street Art Distinction) says things more straightforwardly; the works are raw and wild. You can see our minor graffiti artwork around Bangkok, and some in England and Tokyo. It’s a start, and we have something bigger coming soon.
Art Is?
A way to express our feelings for something. It’s a message from within oneself. If two artists go to a mountain, one might express his feeling with a picture of a landscape that looks real, while the other might draw a grandma panting while she is walking uphill.
Recommended Spaces
The National Gallery is my dream. If I had the chance, I would like to exhibit my works there. It would be a great honor for my works to be there where my favorite artists once showed their works. I also like the surrounding area. From there, you walk a bit and you find Phra Athit Road, Khao San Road, Silpakorn University—there is culture there, there are people who speak the same language as I do.
I like Central World Plaza because, despite being a shopping mall, it always holds small art events and exhibitions. Before, malls used to be extremely commercial, but now they are more open to giving space to artists. I think this is a way to bring art closer to the public. And B.O.R.E.D. showed our work there with Project Zero three months ago, too.
A small hidden gallery like Hof Art is a meter of culture. Like Tokyo, you see the busy crowds and rushed lifestyle, but hidden are small galleries in the second, third or fourth floors of buildings. These small galleries provide signs that the city is not dying. I also like it here because I think that a gallery should be more than an exhibition space. And Hof has a café, so people don’t feel too nervous about coming by. It’s easy for people to get to, and the vibe here is relaxing.
Your Art Pocket Dictionary
Concepts and vocabulary that will help you survive your next gallery opening.
Abstract Art: Big blobs and squiggly lines. Color and form are used in ways that don’t directly translate to a subject.
Abstract Expressionism: The kind of abstract art that began in the 50s in the US. It emphasized planned spontaneity on large canvases (think: splatter paint). Household names include Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.
Aesthetics: The artist’s style, his/her concept of beauty and application of it in their work.
Collaborative Piece: A work of art created by several artists.
Conceptual Art: This idea appeared in the 60s with one basic credo: idea over media. Conceptual artists focus on a message, question or idea—not on making pretty things.
Contemporary Art: As the name suggests, something of this day and age. In many museums, it could refer to anything post-World War II, but generally refers to post 60s art.
Curator: The head honcho at any gallery or museum. Ask this person if you have questions about, or can’t understand, an artist.
Experimental Art: The artist challenges traditions and institutions by exploring new artistic goals or media (at the risk of being impossible to understand by the general public).
Impressionism: With the invention of photography in the 19th century, artists began to paint what they felt, their impressions, rather than realistic representations of the world.
Installation: This tends to be more ephemeral, interactive, experimental or just plain bigger than traditional sculptures.
Medium: How the artwork is communicated to the audience. For example: oil on canvas, print, neon and plywood or even a performance.
Mixed-media: Mixing and matching more than one medium.
Minimalism: Less is more. Yves Klein’s paintings, for example, are just blue canvases.
Modern Art: The modern era began in the 19th century. Modern and contemporary art overlap but the 60s roughly marks the transition to contemporary.
Postmodern Art: A reaction to modernism.
Multimedia Art: Art that vitalizes technology such as video, sound or computer animation.
Performance Art: Daring, often shocking (self-mutilation, excrement launchings) one-off “exhibits” where the artist performs in front of, or with the public. In “Cut Piece,” Yoko One sat on a stage and invited her audience to come up with scissors to cut her clothes off until she was naked.
Pop Art: Crash! Boom! Bang! In the 60s, Andy Warhol proved that pop culture icons (like Marilyn Monroe and Campbell soup cans) could be art, too.
Realism: What you get is what you see.
Surrealism: Imaginary scenes made up of realistic elements, as in a dream.
Video Art: Video art, unlike cinema, often forgoes traditional narrative devices.
Junk or Art? What Do You See?
You visit an art space, you see people staring, grinning, laughing or musing at a painting. They aren’t crazy. There are different levels of appreciating a work of art. You don’t have to be looking at a Picasso to be able to feel an artist’s passion. We asked art experts how you should approach pieces, so the next time you walk into a gallery, you’re armed with some art appreciation techniques.
Maitree Siriboon
Artist and WhiteSpace Art Gallery’s programmer
Even if you don’t understand a piece of art, but you have a feeling that it’s interesting, that’s a good start. Next, question yourself—why you like a certain piece. There are many forms of art including sculpture, painting, video and more.
Don’t go to a show that may be too difficult for you; you should know your limits of what you can appreciate.
And if you are at a show where the artist is present, don’t just go find the artist and ask him what his theme or concept is right away. Art appreciation will happen only when you absorb the works and think about them. Artists do crazy things and they turn them into art. They answer their inner needs, and draw on their experiences. They can coat themselves with automobile lubricant and call it art. You may think, “Huh?!?” But do we need to understand that in the last year he almost froze to death in the snow and the lubricant saved his life so now it has meaning to him? Not really.
Talking to the artist is the last piece of the puzzle. Use your own analysis and inner thought process to find your own answers, which might not be the same as the artist’s. And sometimes the artist may not even give the best answer. Art is up to you; how someone interprets art is up to the individual.
Richard Streitmatter-Tran
Artist, magazine editor, lecturer at RMIT International University, Vietnam
When I go to shows, it’s a personal experience for me. So I look for something to stay with me, whether it’s an image or an idea. I don’t have a method to analyze, or a checklist of what is successful or non-successful. If something stays with me or makes me think about something else, then that’s successful for me. I wouldn’t say “this is bad, I don’t like it,” or “this is good, I like it.” Because a lot of things I don’t like are actually very good. A work can sometimes affect me very negatively and I may get really disturbed, angry or disappointed. But it’s better than being bored.
Whether a viewer needs to understand the work of an artist depends on the artist’s work and intention. If an artist has a message that he really wants to be clear about and people don’t understand, then the artist is not successful. But sometimes, the artist doesn’t have a direct message to give.
Then it’s less important whether or not the people understand the art in the same way the artist does. The experience of the viewers, in this case, will be more important than the artist’s intention.
Resources
www.rama6art.org is a great resource providing information about art events, artists and art venues. If you want to research a national-awarded artist, you’ll want to look here.
BAM! (Bangkok Art Map) is distributed free every month at art venues throughout Bangkok. Besides listing the top shows of the month, it also helps prevent you from getting lost when you go check them out.
Bangkok 101 (B100, available at most bookstores) features articles and events on art. Great photography.
Fine Art (B150, available at most bookstores, in Thai) is for in-the-know art-world people. Featuring reviews of shows and art news.
Freeform (B55, available at Faster Books, Amarin Books, Phrae Pittaya) is a Thai-language magazine providing the latest art world news along with ongoing and upcoming exhibitions each month. No reviews here, but there are interesting articles about art.
Flavors Thai Contemporary Art (available at most bookstores) was written by veteran curator Steven Pettifor and published by the Thavibu Gallery. It’s a great introduction to influential artists in the Thai contemporary art scene.
TA&DG (Thailand Art & Design Guide, available at art venues) is a free bi-monthly magazine, which will introduce you to local artists and events. Contains gallery contact information along with a map.
BK Magazine (of course) gives you a week-by-week list of exhibitions in Bangkok. You can (and should) pick a copy up every Friday to plan where to go and what to do art-wise and otherwise in our bk+ section.
bk asks: “Do you visit art galleries?”
Sinsamut Rattanamanoch, 19, student
Not really. I’ve only been
to thesis art shows at my university.
Chaiwat Songrod, 28, photographer
I just held my photo exhibition called The Assistant at H1 on Thonglor with my friends. I know several galleries such as H1, the Academia Italiana, Silom Galleria and a small one at Phra Nakorn Bar.
Roongtip Puchongprames, 27, insurance salesperson
No, I don’t really know where to go to see art.
Ratte Marnoppong, 32, shop owner at Siam
Never. Art shows are hard to find here and even if I went to see one, I don’t think I would understand it. I don’t really have a background in art.
Anusit Dokthisong, 18, student
Occasionally, I check some art when I go to Chiang Mai.
Surut Sutikunlert, 22, student
About 2-3 times a month. I go to art exhibitions at Silpakorn Nakornphatom because my friend is a
student there. I don’t have a specific kind of art that I love though.
