Respect is earned, although in Thailand respect often comes with age. To motivate artists on the rise, the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture, initiated the title Silpathorn Artist in 2003 to honour mid-career artists — those who've contributed to their respective fields for a number of years but still not 'masters'. The Silpathorn Award focuses on contemporary disciplines — fashion, architecture, literature, music, film, performing art and visual art — and recipients, who are between 30 to 50, represent the youthful, progressive energy in the Thai creative scene. An exhibition showing their bodies of work, from design sketches to a film screening, is ongoing at Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center until Sept 9.
HRH Princess Sirivannavari NariratanaFashion Design
HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, the youngest daughter of HM the King, has been named Silpathorn Artist in Fashion Design this year.
The Princess' passion in art and design was evident since she was young. In 2004 as a student at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Applied Arts, she created Red Hobby -- regarded as her first fashion collection -- a work inspired by pop-art and punk culture. While studying at L'ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, the Princess worked at various renowned fashion houses in Paris and Rome, and later drew on those experiences to launch Sirivannavari, her own fashion house that has since attracted considerable international attention.
Each collection reflects the Princess' artistic interest, and especially her ability to work with key elements from history and iconic cultural movements. The "Viva Victorian" collection, for instance, conflates Victorian primness with a punk spirit, while the "Human DNA collection" was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's and Frida Kahlo's works. Her "Napoleonic" is based on the French military uniform but with her own Dadaist twist, and her latest collection "Horse, Helen, Henri" is based on her own story about a romance during World War II between a soldier and a peasant girl.
An outstanding quality of the brand is its use of pattern print and avant-garde inspiration, and each collection resembles artwork on the runway, combining elegance and practicality. HRH Princess Sirivannavari has also branched out into ready-to-wear collections, footwear, leatherwear and accessories, based on the same standard of finesse and quality.
Uthis Haemamool. Photo: Tawatchai Kemgumnerd
Uthis Haemamool Literature
Uthis Haemamool's stories investigate family, history, desire, sex, politics and everything in between. His latest novel Rang Haeng Prathana (Silhouette Of Desire) features a protagonist whose erotic adventure runs parallel to Thailand's political education. When the book came out, it was accompanied by Uthis' painting exhibition, and at the moment a theatre adaptation of the novel is being staged in Bangkok before going on tour in Japan and Europe.
His first novel, Rabam Metun, came out in 2004, followed by a short-story collection. Then came the book that launched his career and made him one of the most promising writers of his generation: Lablae Kaeng Khoi (The Brotherhood Of Kaeng Khoi) won him the SEA Write, the most respected literary prize in this part of the world, in 2009. The book was a generation-spanning family drama that begins during World War II and ends in the 1990s, and it remains a landmark work in contemporary Thai literature. Based on his own life story, the novel has two sequels that form a trilogy set in the district of Kaeng Khoi, Saraburi province, where Uthis spent his childhood.
Uthis studied painting at Silpakorn University. A renegade student who openly questioned his school's conservative roots, Uthis started his career as a film crew, then film critic, before taking up writing full time. He has published 18 books of stories and non-fiction.
His latest book Silhouette Of Desire sums up his career as well as the times he has grown up as an artist: the book follows an art student from Silpakorn University as he comes of age sexually and politically, and lives to witness Thai history marked by Black May in 1992, the 2006 and 2014 coups, and last year's death of King Rama IX.
Teerawat Mulvilai.
Teerawat Mulvilai Performing Art
A pioneer in Thai physical theatre, Teerawat Mulvilai's recognition as Silpathorn Artist is long-overdue for someone who has been an artistic force for more than 20 years.
Teerawat's physical theatre relies solely on body movement as a means to communicate with his audience. His theatre is wordless and the only language is that of the body, its rhythm, its joy and despair, and its ability to connect imagination with reality. Virtually all of his stage creations tell original stories and convey a strong social and political conscience. The wordless nature of his art highlights the issues that remain voiceless, even unspeakable, such as injustice, violence and structural oppression that affects the lives of people.
He started out in the mid-1990s with Crescent Moon, a well-known theatre troupe, and in 1999 founded B-Floor, a progressive-minded theatre company that remains active today. Some of his shows include: Requiem, which he performed at the former Khmer Rouge prison S-21; Goda Gardener, which he adapted from his field research about Thai labour in Taiwan; Flu O Less Sence, Fool Alright and Oxygen, created between 2010 to 2012, formed a trilogy about political violence on the streets of Bangkok. In the past few years, Teerawat has turned his attention to Thailand's political history in his much acclaimed Red Barrels -- referring to the murders of accused communists in the 1970s -- Iceberg, which tells the same story through the perspective of the perpetrators, and Fundamental, conceived as part of the commemoration of the Oct 6, 1976, massacre of students.
Twitee Vajrabhaya Teparkum Architecture
'Good architecture must answer the needs of the people. It should provide a space that enhances people's quality of life and happiness, a place where we can feel uplifted. It's all about human. Good architecture understands human beings," said Twitee Vajrabhaya Teparkum in an interview.
This year's Silpathorn Artist in Architecture puts emphasis on human-first design, and her works include the earthquake-proof Pong Phrae Wittaya School in Chiang Rai, on which she worked with non-profit Design for Disasters after the previous school building was badly damaged by a 2015 quake; a multipurpose pavilion called "The Flow" in Chon Buri, a roofed open space for activities inspired by a shape of folded paper; and recently the new headquarters of Thailand Creative and Design Centre (TCDC), for which the architect worked with the existing space of the Grand Post Office building on Charoen Krung.
The TCDC building in particular is a showcase of Twitee's idea. The historical building, heavy with stone and classical symmetry, has been adapted to a lighter, brighter contemporary space, and the architect put much emphasis on creating the structure and interior whereby the past and present are not totally separated but connected and well-balanced.
Twitee was born and raised in Bangkok and graduated from Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Architecture. She went to study in the US and worked in Chicago and New York before returning to Thailand in 2001. In 2004 she founded the Department of Architecture with Amata Luphaiboon, and together they took up several design works for resorts, hotels, as well as community space.
Ark Fongsamut Visual Art
This year's Silpathorn Artist in Visual Art doesn't go to an artist, as it has always been. Ark Fonsamutr is a curator, and his recognition signifies the importance of the curatorial job, a crucial element in the ecosystem of contemporary art world.
Traditionally, "a curator" evokes the image of someone working in historical or archaeological museums, at least in Thailand. In early 2000s, Ark belonged to the wave of upcoming curators and gallerists who pushed the possibility of Thai modern art through scouting, selection, programming and presenting new works. Some of the prominent exhibitions on his long resume include his work with Manit Sriwanichpoon in the "Pink Man" series, a satire of consumerism that remains one of Thailand's modern masterpieces; the Brand New Art Project has been initiated to promote fresh-faced artists who have never had an exhibition before; "Present Perfect" was curated as a critique of the inadequacy of the Thai modern art scene. In all, Ark strives towards what is called public exhibition -- art shows curated not for commercial purposes but for the enrichment of audiences and society.
Ark studied public administration at Chulalongkorn University and fine art administration at Goldsmiths College in London. He has been a lecturer at Bangkok University as well as curator at the Bangkok University Gallery, which has been constantly active in showing works by young and little-known artists.
"My principle in curatorial work is based on two things," Ark once said. "Initiation and creativity processed through critical thinking. That's what working in art and culture in the 21st century is all about."
Nora-ath Chanklum Music
Bringing East and West together may sound like an artistic cliché, but Nora-ath Chanklum has proved that with heart, skill and theoretical understanding, the fusion works, often beautifully. This year's Silpathorn Artist in Music is recognised for his ability, as composer and conductor, to find a new expression for traditional Thai melodies and verses. His latest composition, Wak Thong, sets orchestral music to 26 passages of Thai literature, poems and odes, creating a musical experience that's as inspiring as it is unexpected.
Nora-ath grew up in a house filled with the sound of music. His parents were amateur singers who performed with Suntaraporn, Thailand's legendary big band that was all the rage in the 1960s. He studied violin in secondary school and later graduated from Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Applied Arts, where he read Western music and began conducting.
Since 2006, Nora-ath has conducted the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and Chulalongkorn Symphony Orchestra, covering everything from Copland to Stravinsky and Respighi. But it's his composition work that has attracted critical interest and explored the possibility of putting Thai characteristics in the Western musical tradition. So far he has arranged orchestral scores for over 200 Thai songs, notably the symphonic treatment of old Suntaraporn numbers and Journey Through The Music Of The Great King: A Suite For Aan Orchestra, which works around King Rama IX's royal songbook. He also works with Charin Nantanakorn, one of Thailand's best-known singers of the 1970s, to rearrange his numbers for an orchestra.
Nora-ath is now an associate professor at Chulalongkorn University.
Soros Sukhum Film
The Silpathorn Artist in Film this year goes not to a director, as it has been over the past many years. Soros Sukhum is a film producer working on the fringe of the industry, and yet his contribution to various independent film projects has pushed forth the creative energy of Thai filmmakers whose names are more familiar in Thailand as well as internationally.
Since "indie filmmaking" means working under constrained budget and constant negotiation with investors and cinemas, a producer is crucial in pulling off artistic film projects that may seem commercially unappealing. Over the past 15 years, Soros has managed to do just that with films such as Wonderful Town by director Aditya Assarat; Daokhanong (By The Time It Gets Dark) by Anocha Suwichakornpong; Tang Wong and Snap by Kongdej Jaturanrasmee; Concrete Clouds by Lee Chatamethekool; 10 Years Thailand, an omnibus film about the state of Thailand, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival this year; and Someone From Nowhere by Prada Yoon, which is in cinemas today. These are some of the Thai films that became well-known in the international festival circuit, won numerous local and overseas prizes, and launched the career of these filmmakers.
Soros studied at Vajiravudh College, where he organised film screenings for fellow students. He graduated from the Faculty of Mass Communication, Rangsit University, and began working in the film industry in the late 1990s. As Thai cinema came of age and gained international recognition with the arrival of young filmmakers working outside the studio system, Soros slowly found his calling as a producer -- basically someone who looks for funding, manages budget, oversees the production and ensures that a film corresponds to the vision of the director. The honour as Silpathorn Artist is a validation not only for Soros' contribution, but to the fact that the producer's job, often overlooked, is indispensable in the step forward for Thai film.
