Showing 1-10 of 14 results
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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.
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An oasis of sakura
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 02/03/2023
» The van took such a steep, winding road that I felt nauseous and closed my eyes from the lush view of the Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park out the window. After an indefinite period of time, I breathed a sigh of relief upon arrival at a village. I did not expect that my first trip to Phitsanulok would take me to such new heights.
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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.
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Bangkok serves as inspiration in new show
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 18/10/2022
» After British artist Andrew Stahl set foot in Thailand, he spent much of the day exploring Bangkok. It is a jumble of many buildings from modern high rises and bright neon signs to rickety shophouses and temples that never cease to amaze him although he is a frequent visitor. It has provided inspiration for his latest exhibition "Sparkling City".
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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.
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Heritage is not soft power
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 02/05/2022
» Harvard University Professor Joseph Nye coined the term "soft power", or the ability to obtain preferred outcomes by attraction, rather than coercion or payment, in his book Bound To Lead in 1990. However, he has since seen his brainchild, scribbled out on his kitchen table, grow in scope of application and distance.
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Ancient art moves to modernise
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 10/05/2022
» After a two-year hiatus, Thanyaporn Khongkrathok, 17, and her friends dusted off their kaleidoscopic bird-like costumes. When the curtain was raised, they danced gracefully to pay respect to their ancestors. Thanyaporn has practised nora, the southern performance art, from an early age because she wants to preserve it.
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Preserving an ancient art
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 26/04/2022
» Despite a two-year hiatus, Nutchanat La-ongsri commanded a stage with unwavering power. Donning a large headpiece, she pulled on a white costume with a red strap tied on her upper body. Her back rose up like a bird's tail. She pressed her hands in front, showing silver bracelets and nail tips. After a wai kru ceremony, she staged a play in nora kaek, the dying breed of performance art from the Deep South.
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Tunes of the forest
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 08/02/2022
» It is a heavenly radio broadcast that reminds villagers twice a day -- morning and late afternoon -- of their feathered companions under threat of extinction. Despite being hampered by lockdowns, artists have managed to imitate birdsong for public announcement systems to promote human-animal relationships.
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Patriotism's problem
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 01/11/2021
» 'When will you come home?" a mother asks her on the phone. A teenage daughter, now a university student, is busy completing her assignment. She is about to go on a field trip to historic places ranging from temples to museums to collect information for her report.
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