Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Drink up 'cos the generals won't go away
News, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 28/07/2016
» So this is it then; come next Sunday we're off to the polling stations for the referendum vote. That familiar locale, a school, a temple or a mosque temporarily converted into a theatre of democracy; where we performed our duty as active citizens in the Feb 2, 2014 election which was later made null and void.
Protest, die, repeat?
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 18/05/2016
» Sunday marks the second anniversary of the 2014 military takeover, the second coup d'etat in Thailand in a decade and the 12th successful one since absolute monarchy was overthrown in 1932. And three months from now, in August, the highly controversial charter referendum will take place.
Art as a political act
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 18/03/2016
» It was with a feeling of nausea and disgust that Chiang Mai-based artist Mit Jai Inn spent one month working on his new series of abstract paintings, now on display and part of the exhibition "Wett" at Gallery Ver at N22 in Bangkok. Mit's series is entitled "Junta Monochrome" -- obviously not for the works themselves -- for the art space has exploded with every colour imaginable; rather the title conveys the artist's contempt for the reality outside: a junta-ruled country where things are either black or white, where if you're not a khon dee (good person), the artist says, you are inevitably the bad guy.
The surreal world we live in
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 18/12/2015
» As the festive time draws near, with Christmas and the New Year, it's not only a time for celebrating and looking ahead, but looking at where we have been and where we are right now. But while the future is all imagination -- all your New Year's resolutions are possibly delusional and bogus -- what's real and inarguable is the past and the now, as we breathe and try to get through the day. Let's not get personal about this as there are plenty of other occasions to talk about your plans to do yoga more regularly, cut down on cigarettes or be nicer to other people.
The shape-shifting form of protests
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 06/10/2015
» The streets remained empty and all was quiet when thousands of people gathered last Wednesday night to protest against the government's Single Gateway proposal. Protesters weren't, however, down at major landmarks like Asoke or Ratchaprasong intersections, but simply in front of their computer screens. By merely punching the refresh button, these protesters let their resentment known to the authorities by crashing at least six government sites, including the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.
A monthly column rounding up the best of the capita l’s art scene
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 30/09/2015
» Art Matters begins with a gentle reminder that "Rediscovering Forgotten Thai Masters Of Photography" -- a black-and-white optic feast comprised of works by seven Thai photographers -- continues at Bangkok University Gallery until the end of Oct and is not to be missed.
Making connections, not cash
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 21/01/2015
» Artist Pisitakun Kuantalaeng, 28, was once a Yellow Shirt. In less than a decade, Pisitakun went from a fervent supporter of anti-Thaksin politics and airport seizures to an artist who took to the streets after the junta seized power last May.
Splitting seems not all that shocking
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 22/04/2014
» When a banner bearing the message “This country has no justice. I want to split the country” was set up earlier this year across a pedestrian flyover in Phayao province in the North, I was shocked.
The truth will out
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 08/01/2014
» Over the past few months, the social media in Thailand has literally turned from a playground for fun and entertaining diversions into a veritable battlefield. Facebook's bragging, attention-seeking statuses and narcissistic selfies have been replaced by quotes, reports, pictures and video clips attacking those on the opposite side of the political divide _ and to convince and confirm the righteousness of one's own camp.
The means justify the end
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 10/12/2013
» Allow me to venture a thought we might have overlooked during the weeks-long fight between Suthep-led anti-Thaksin protests and Yingluck Shinawatra's government _ Thais are fighting over something that may become beautiful.