‘Controlled chaos’
Bangkok presents its first contemporary art and cultural centre with a grand exhibition featuring a vast array of works by both nationally and internationally acclaimed artists
Story by RATHSARAN SIREEKAN Photos by KOSOL NAKACHOL
After many years of anticipation, Bangkok has finally given birth to what it takes to be a truly mega city: An art and cultural centre of its own.
The first of its kind, the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) will officially launch its first international exhibition tomorrow (September 23), and is set to display as many as 300 works by leading national and international artists - “an assembly of scale you won’t come across so easily”, said BACC Chairman of Executive Committee Prof Dr Apinan Poshyananda.
Entitled “Traces of Siamese Smile: Art+Faith+Politics+Love”, BACC’s latest exhibition features the widest possibilities of artistic expression from the established to those just-graduated budding artists; from painting, sculpture, photography to installation art, video art as well as site-specific works whose relevancy to the generously inclusive theme is decided by the BACC selection committee.
Spearheading the event, Prof Dr Apinan, also director-general of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture, explained why the Siamese smile took centre stage as the opening theme.
“The Siamese smile has been perceived by the general public, particularly foreigners, as the joyful personality of the Thai people.”
But that’s not all there is to it. Regardless of how frequently we see the Siamese smile being used in tourism campaigns to represent the Thai national and cultural identity, these representations, Dr Apinan said, still neglect other significant dimensions of the smile.
According to Dr Apinan, “the Siamese Smile has not only the positive or negative features,” but also a hundred others in between. This unexplored territory is where “Traces of Siamese Smile: Art+Faith+Politics+Love” comes in. “Although viewers will see many smiling faces in the show, some works featured here do not necessarily take the corporeal form of a ’smile’ as such or some may not even bare any trace of a smile at all.”
But that, he pointed out, was the sheer fun and charm of it.
“I’m sure viewers will perceive the differences of various issues, ideas and interpretations. All these begin with ‘Siamese Smile’ as a general concept. The concept would be more complex when viewers interact with the works.”
Two works in point, which are not to be missed, are French-turned-New Yorker Louise Bourgeois’s Spider and Korean Choi Jeong-Hwa’s Believe It or Not. Both are neither Thai, nor smile-baring, but, somehow, for some extraordinary reason, are deemed two of the exhibition’s highlights. What’s the relevancy?
Bourgeoise’s world-celebrated and dauntingly-sized bronze sculpture Spider is housed in a room not so much larger than itself to produce a claustrophobic effect on the visitor. As you approach closer to this big female predaceous arachnid, the extreme feeling of repugnance and aversion towards the beast somehow wondrously transforms itself into something a child feels toward its mother; the hovering shadow above your head is no longer felt as a threat, but as sheer motherly warmth from her love and protection - a twist and turn in visitors’ experience and expectations which eventually unfolds as a big smile on their faces.
Like Bourgeoise’s Spider, Choi Jeong-Hwa’s Believe It or Not signals the same mindset to defamiliarise. Again, not baring any trace of a smile, the large-scale site-specific installation, also on the 8th floor, is built up from thousands of garish plastic baskets piled up on one another against the wide white curved wall. The artist said he relished the simplistic and unpretentious optimism these glaring baskets gave out. Every time he visits the busy Chinese market of Sampaeng, these gaudy plastic ware never stops him from smiling.
And these smiles, he said, were to be shared among the museum’s visitors themselves as he had provided a walking alley along his mural-like work so that when people walked up and down appreciating it, they would smile at one another - an experience we Bangkokians do need in such a time where work stress and tense routines almost leave our “Siamese Smile” trademark in tatters.
The BACC’s “importing” this kitsch plastic art and putting it under the spotlight is not accidental. It sends a strong message to the visitor, saying what kind of museum BACC is.
Not at all too difficult for the observant mind to sense how acutely aware the museum is of its contemporaneous status, when it dismantles the conventional boundary between high and the so-called “low” art.
“As far as Choi Jeong-Hwa’s installation is concerned, BACC makes clear it recognises design product of utility as a type of art whose value is equal to those of painting and sculpture in fine arts,” said Dr Apinan.
Marketing itself as something outside the high-art tradition, BACC’s opening exhibition is curated in such a way it might disorientate visitors who come with a certain kind of expectation that they will see a well-compartmentalised display typically found in conventional fine arts museums.
“Visitors to BACC’s new exhibition will experience what we call ‘controlled chaos’ as we don’t have any such-and-such rooms dedicated to rigid categorisation of the exhibits. Contemporary art has more layers than you can imagine; it is not linear and our experience of it keeps multiplying itself; your perception will be stimulated by many pieces of work all at once.”
More straightforwardly dedicated to the “Smile” theme is Panya Vijinthanasarn’s Dimensions of Life - a very splendid blend of the Thai tradition and its contemporaneity; there will also be Piriya Krairiksh’s lighter portrayals of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit; Montien Boonma’s A Man Who Admires; Chatchai Puipia’s Siamese Smiles; Anuchai Secharunputong’s Outside in 3; Paolo Canevari’s Graceland; and works by Fang Lijun.
Other highlights that Dr Apinan said were not to be missed are works by world famous Yue Minjun, Marina Abramovic’s stunning Sea Punishing and Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba’s mesmerising Memorial Project.
‘Traces of Siamese Smile: Art+Faith+Politics+Love’ is on show at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, open to the public daily (except Mondays) from 10am to 3pm.
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Tags: Art And Cultural Centre, Art And Culture, Artistic Expression, Bacc, Centre Stage, Controlled Chaos, Cultural Identity, Culture Centre, Culture Ministry, Installation Art, International Artists, International Exhibition, Mega City, Ministry Of Culture, Negative Features, Sculpture Photography, Siamese, Smile Art, Specific Works, Unexplored Territory, Video Art