Showing 1 - 10 of 15
Memes of dissent
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 14/08/2023
» It is not as whimsical as it seems. After the onset of the largest pro-democracy movement since the military coup in 2014, university and high school students cuddled hamster dolls and ran around in circles. "Delicious tax!", hundreds of them sang, from a cartoon jingle at Democracy Monument in late July 2020. Crowdsourced from a social media platform, Hamtaro, a shorthand for caged mice demanding freedom, spawned many internet memes, including a greedy caricature of junta leader Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Books? Coffee? Heaven!
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 11/07/2023
» Happening, an art and entertainment magazine, will launch the first edition of a coffee-inspired short story collection on Wednesday to enrich your reading experience with a great cup of Joe in one sitting.
Struggling to survive
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 23/05/2023
» You are what you eat, but some do not have the privilege to choose. Nai, who is skinny and short for his age, lacks more than just a proper diet. He has been abandoned by his mother, and his father is serving a jail term. As a result, his uncle has kindly taken him into his own family. But like others, he is living from hand-to-mouth, so providing his nephew with a balanced diet from the five food groups is difficult. Due to a lack of variety in their diet, slum children, though not starving, are suffering from malnutrition.
A creative accounting
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/02/2023
» Sophie, a young pianist, dreams of performing at a concert hall. When she gets an invitation letter, she feels overjoyed and begins to prepare for a debut, though with a sense of foreboding. On concert day, the sound of music comes from nowhere. She finds that it is created by the ghosts of past performers, yet continues to play her instrument. Her performance brings the ghosts peace, and they gradually disappear. As time goes by, Sophie becomes a successful pianist, but she never forgets the event.
When art gets stifled
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 21/11/2022
» 'Art is short, a case is long," read a banner. Students apparently hijacked the well-known motto "art is long, life is short" by Prof Silpa Bhirasri, the father of Thai modern art, in protest of Chiang Mai University's legal action against its own lecturers and a student who "trespassed" on the art centre to exhibit works, some of which might challenge those in power, last year. It is a case in point for stifling democracy in Thai art.
Graffiti artist follows his rebellious roots
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 06/06/2022
» A daubed wall marks off a rundown area where makeshift houses were put up for rent, a stone's throw from a luxury condominium in the heart of Bangkok's Sathon. A 40-year-old man exits his car with pink luggage. He puts on a black hat and ties a small cloth around his head. He's wearing a long-sleeve checked shirt, shorts, and black sneakers and his socks are printed with cannabis patterns. Mue Bon, literally translated as "restless hands", opens his arsenal and begins to spray paint a rough sketch of the flightless black bird on the wall.
Debunking the endgame theory
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 18/01/2022
» Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2 adapts for survival. First identified in South Africa in November, the new variant of concern, Omicron, has now swept across the world. It carries a large number of mutations, including those on the spike protein, which are thought to increase transmissibility. However, studies have found that it causes milder infection than previous variants.
Exhibition explores the impact of air pollution
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 07/01/2022
» From open burning to toxic emissions, clouds of smoke curl and drift before entering our bodies. Thai artist Supmanee Chaisansuk has launched her new exhibition of semi-abstract paintings to explore the impact of air pollution.
Migrants seek better times close to home
Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 07/01/2022
» Carrying a large rucksack, I bought a ticket and walked into a crowded bus terminal in Ekamai where thousands of passengers, wearing face masks, were counting down the clock to return home for the long holidays. The vast station was packed as New Year drew closer. When I got on the bus, a familiar luk thung song was being played, evoking memories.
Exhibition provides voice to voiceless
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 01/04/2021
» When she looks in the mirror, she doesn't like her reflection at all because it isn't who she is. She doesn't understand why she is supposed to play with dolls, have her hair cut to ear level and wear pleated skirts to school. Her parents and teachers instruct her to behave well because politeness and modesty are the yardstick of female decency.