Photo Bangkok 2015 continues in galleries throughout the capital. It seems, however, that the festival will have to wait until “Weatherproof” at WTF Gallery and “Rediscovering Forgotten Thai Masters Of Photography” at Bangkok University Gallery open in September before it’s back in the spotlight again.
Sure, the almost transcendental fuse of Ralph Gibson’s model or object and shadow in his selected works did go well with a double-shot Americano by RMA Institute’s cafe Gastro 1/6. But who could have resisted the sight of whitewashed walls and building of Bangkok Citycity Gallery on Sathorn Soi 1, which opened over the weekend.
I understand that for some Wisut Ponnimit’s cute little Mamuang may have become too familiar a sight, but for the space’s inaugural show, Wisut constructed something of a maze and visitors, who are let in only three at a time, are to take a role of Mamuang, who’s chosen path decides how the plot unfolds. My only question for those who have been to the space is why does it have to be “Citycity”?
Comparatively quiet yet persistent is this year’s BRANDNEW Art Project, which spills to a few other places outside Bangkok University Gallery. It is a real shame that Titirat Skultantimayta’s constructed household space “Filling The Void” in which “the real” and “almost real” clash, pulsating with a sense of tragedy and nostalgia, was up for just a while. There are three ongoing shows left: Napat Vattanakuljalas’ transformation from 3D objects into 2D visual illusions; Jarasporn Chumsri’s impressionism inspired by strangers on Instagram; and Rodwiroon Wannakaew’s installation.
Rodwiroon’s exhibition, entitled "Lucky" (until Sunday), is reminiscent of Makha Sanewong Na Ayuthaya’s precariously-arranged installation, "Unidentified Familiar Object", which was on display at the same space last year.
On the second floor, there’s a massive abacus whose beads are small statues of nang kwak (beckoning ladies), made of candle wax donated by temples. So there’s a mix of Chinese, traditional Thai and Buddhist elements smoothly put together. The precarious bit, also the fun part, is on the first floor. In the middle, there’s a floor-to-ceiling column of sticky rice steaming baskets, old pots, pans, kettles and tin cups. Next to that, in the same manner, stackable lunch box bowls piled up to the ceiling. On one side, chopsticks, through its carefully hidden mechanics, are almost imperceptibly moving inside its aluminium container.
While Makha’s instability in Unidentified Familiar Object was very much political — a chair balanced on a knife’s edge, Rodwiroon’s take is on the increasingly elusive nature of Thai identity. But while the abacus and nang kwak installation have succeeded in that, I feel like the pieces on the first floor are just the artist experimenting with the installation process, which results in a fun experience for viewers.
The recently-opened show “Cherry Blossom” (until Sept 19) by Daniel Sewell at Whitespace Gallery Bangkok is also about fun, but seems limited to the artist himself. Everything in the show — sculptures, poetry, photo collage and five-hour long video — is a look at the Thai sex industry and the impact it has on young girls, through a foreigner’s eyes.
I find the show offensive — Sewell’s reclining nude painting series are charts of girls’ names and prices. What bothers me is the fact that it must have been at least 20 years since other artists have taken up the issue.
Bussaraporn Thongchai’s solo exhibition “I’m Not Your Holy Mother” (until Sept 19) at Ardel’s Third Place Gallery also deals with sex and femininity. There’s something about her lines which reminds us of her large mural as part of a group show “Thai Charisma: Heritage + Creative Power” at BACC last year.
Her character this time, however, is the mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary. Most of the times, whether it’s mixed technique on linen or paper, Bussaraporn’s Mary is naked, extremely old and wrinkled and openly sexual in her pose. One piece, I’m Not Your Holy Mother No.4, shows the woman squatting upskirt to reveal a wide hole, her face nervous and sad, her hands spread out as if guilty. In another piece, the woman is hung upside down on a crucifix, her lanky body and breasts weighed down.
The 50 sketches in Beauty And The Bitches further into the space provides a clue, a link to contemporary context, as to what she’s trying to say. The collection is of 50 female murderers from around the world, whose types of crime range from gang rape avenge, serial killing, killing of their own family to killing for blood.
The best thing about Bussaraporn’s works is how the experience is different viewing the works individually and collectively. View each piece separately and one sees so much hatred and disgust imbued in Bussaraporn’s character. View them together and there’s a sense of understanding and sympathy, not just in the paintings but the act of walking around inside the gallery space, as well.
Contact kaonap@bangkokpost.co.th with comments or news on art events.
Daniel Sewell’s Reclining Nude 1.
