Showing 1 - 10 of 40
Cool Thailand?
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 29/04/2016
» It is only with reference to J-pop or K-pop that we have a clue as to what the word "T-pop" could possibly mean: an attempt at cultural export -- film, music and other forms of entertainment -- to create a "Thai brand" of cool. It's better late than never, so the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has recently launched a campaign, with Thai star Mario Maurer as the presenter, with the aim to boost tourism in Thailand and expand the entertainment market in China.
A quiet weekend of dance
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 15/12/2016
» The 11th International Butoh Festival kicked off last week with performances Sonata For An Uninhibited Body by Rosana Barra, Oju Obá -- The Eyes Of The Falling King, The Eyes Of The Rising King by Calé Miranda and Indonesian performer Tony Broer's untitled show. Awaiting Butoh fans on this second and final weekend is one of the festival's highlights: Quiet House, a collaboration piece by Japan's Takayuki Takita and Yuko Kawamoto, and Teerawat Mulvilai from B-Floor Theatre.
Threading her way through Islam
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 08/09/2016
» The painting looks computerised, yet there are imperfections as if it was made by hand. Looking closely, the forms on the work seem abstract, yet from afar, they are clearly human figures kneeling down as if praying. Entitled Jamaah 2, an Arabic term loosely meaning the act of doing good in congregation with the community, the work is by Thidarat Chantachua, and it was the winner of the 2015 UOB Painting of the Year Award in the Established Artist Category.
The future, in reverse
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 08/06/2016
» On the surface, artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul's video of a night journey through a temple doesn't seem to be in dialogue with photographs of Sakhalin island by Japanese Tomoko Yoneda. Nor does there seem to be any connection between Field Recordings' video work documenting migrant workers on the banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River and MAP Office's incredibly detailed imaginary map of "future Hong Kong".
Opening doors
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 02/12/2016
» From now until March, a weekend in Hua Hin will no longer be just about seaside activities or a stroll around night markets. Launched earlier this month, Vic Hua Hin's inaugural "Theatre Season", a festival of music, dance and stage performances and film screenings, will keep both locals and visitors busy every weekend.
Exhibition asks, 'Has happiness returned to Thailand?'
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 27/07/2016
» If "Fear" -- Manit Sriwanichapoom's latest photography and video show, which opened over the past weekend at H Gallery, Tang Contemporary Art and Kathmandu Photo Gallery (and at Yavuz Gallery in Singapore at the end of the month) -- isn't the hottest topic of discussion in the capital's art scene already, it soon will be.
'A Painter from Bikaner' come to Bangkok
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 28/07/2016
» At Serindia Gallery, all is still and calm until you look closer and everything -- the landscapes, animals and plants -- suddenly comes to life. Magnifying glasses are of course provided. In the exhibition "A Painter From Bikaner", Indian traditional miniature painter Mahaveer Swami presents a selection of his exquisitely detailed works whose subjects range from the mundane daily lives in India, landscapes and animals to tales from mythology.
Picture the words
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 22/06/2016
» What's not to like about director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit's debut solo exhibition "I Write You A Lot", which just opened last weekend at Bangkok Citycity Gallery?
Loud paintings
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 13/01/2016
» Echoing the title of Paphonsak La-or's solo exhibition "Silent No More", his opening reception at Lyla Gallery in Chiang Mai on Boxing Day last year was buzzing with locals and those who had made the trip from Bangkok. Milling around, everyone in the exhibition room couldn't possibly have avoided the huge 7m-long centrepiece that comes with a shade of blue paint that is neither gloomy nor reassuring in the background. While there's a sentence in the middle, "This image is no longer available", the bottom text reads, "Love which was woven in our society leads to a great tragedy and sorrow".
Seeing the world through another's eyes
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 13/11/2015
» As much as Facebook is a virtual space of borderless interaction, it has, for many, undeniably become our most immediate and primary news source. It's a personalised pool of information, which though we have chosen consciously, can transform who we are and the way we think without our even realising it. And I have often wondered what it would be like to live, maybe for a day, in the social media world of other people's Facebook accounts.