Showing 1 - 10 of 12
Artistic, with insects
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 16/12/2024
» When Thanapat Termsintawee was a third-year student at the School of Fine and Applied Arts, Bangkok University, he conducted a thesis which compared human society to ant colonies. Working on the thesis led him to keep ants and develop a familiarity with the insects.
An art renaissance
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 27/12/2023
» In 2023, Thailand's art industry continued to grow. Among the numerous events held nationwide, Adulaya Hoontrakul, director of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), highlighted three significant exhibitions: "Colorful Bangkok", "Thailand Biennale Chiang Rai 2023" and "Womanifesto: Flowing Connections".
The rise of political stress syndrome
Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 31/07/2023
» As Thailand's new government formation will significantly impact numerous people, most are following the matter closely. However, the effort to stay informed has caused stress to both supporters of pro-democracy parties and those in favour of the junta and conservative parties.
Challenging the norm
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 11/04/2023
» After reading two books with red-coloured covers -- bell hooks' All About Love and Tara Costello's Red Moon Gang, Chanaradee Chatrakul Na Ayudhya, better known as juli baker and summer, became triggered by issues in the books, including relationships, politics, capitalism and menstruation. In order to convey the messages she perceived in the books, Chanaradee tracked her emotions throughout her 28-day menstruation cycle and transformed them into sketches. Inspired by her daily events, the artist created 29 paintings, one fibreglass sculpture and one animation for her latest exhibition titled "She's Too Much". All rough sketches are displayed at the showcase.
Hope for a better future
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 22/08/2022
» In the short Surrealist fiction Lok (Peeled) by Jirat Prasertsap, a woman tries to move on after her boyfriend leaves her and she is unable to contact him. She throws away everything that reminds her of her ex-boyfriend. She quits her job and moves to live in another province. However, her memory of him and his touch does not fade, so in an attempt to forget him, she decides to peel her skin from head to toe.
At the crossroads of history
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 16/03/2022
» In a career than spans three decades, photojournalist Vinai Dithajohn has risked his life covering several coups and protest movements mostly using Democracy Monument as a vantage point. An exhibition of some his most harrowing shots and others that humanise protesters and police officers alike is currently on display at Bangkok's VS Gallery.
Hashtags of hate
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 17/01/2022
» A week ago, the hashtags #BanSitala and #BanLuknang returned to social media again after K-pop girl group H1-Key dropped their debut music video Athletic Girl and performed in an online press conference. These hashtags appeared for the first time last December when South Korean entertainment agency Grandline Group (GLG) announced the debut of H1-Key, which included Thai singer Sitala Wongkrachang as the rapper. Sitala is the daughter of the famous late actor and political activist Saranyu Wongkrachang. When Thai anti-government supporters and K-pop fans discovered that Sitala had entered the industry, they were furious as her family had a role in the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) rallies, which led to the 2014 coup. They accused her of being a supporter of a dictatorship.
Doing his duty
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 30/11/2021
» In May 2014, artist Surajate Tongchua was in a bank to pay his bills when the military launched a coup. The artist felt numb realising that the country would be ruled by a military dictatorship again, so he decided to collect receipts from that day to document the negative effect of the coup. He believed his payments for VAT at the rate of 7% were used to support the junta government. After collecting his and his family members' receipts for several years, Surajate started developing his art collection "Priceless" in 2017, which is on view at the new art gallery Manycuts Artspace Ari.
The artist who gives the junta headaches
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 26/08/2020
» Criticising the government is part of a normal functioning democracy, but perhaps not in Thailand. The junta government who claim they came from an election frowns upon any kind of criticism, even political art.
Championing unbiased media
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 06/08/2020
» On May 22, 2014, a coup d'etat by the Royal Thai Armed Forces was declared. At that time, well-known film director Chulayarnnon Siriphol, director of Ten Years Thailand, who was reading and watching the news from traditional media -- newspaper and television -- realised that the media was not reporting on the real events that he saw on social media and the internet. It was at this time that it dawned on him that traditional media was under some control of the junta government.