In Thailand, by the age of 40 people are expected to be successful, and artists are no exception. Most art projects provide funding to artists aged 35 and under. To provide opportunities to artists aged 40 and over, the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre teamed up with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to launch the exhibition "Off The Radar, We Rise".
Penwadee Nophaket Manont, advisory curator, explained that the exhibition showcases works by eight artists aged 40 and above who put their careers on hold due to the economy, those who lacked opportunities and creators who did not feel confident enough to call themselves artists.
Prior to the exhibition, the eight artists participated in the Peek Hug Pool Villa Project where they spent time together at a pool villa to connect, share ideas and unwind. The project helped the artists learn different perspectives and they also had an opportunity to visit the studio of renowned artist Chatchai Puipia, who shared with them his career path over the past 20 years.
Here are some highlights of "Off The Radar, We Rise".
Unseen by Anurak Khotchomphu
Anurak is an art lecturer at Mahasarakham University, so he was naturally interested in The Ban Phai-Nakhon Phanom railway project because it passes through Baan Nong Tuean village in Maha Sarakham. Anurak noticed changes in the area due to the railway construction and he created the installation Unseen to express how the lives of people changed throughout the course of construction.
Unseen is a mixed installation which consists of various materials such as wood, concrete, corrugated zinc, steel and glass. The installation depicts many tall pillars with solid concrete bases and wooden planks salvaged from houses that were dismantled for railroad construction. The pillars serve as surfaces for projection mapping which showcases landscape images.
City people may be interested in Baan Nong Tuean village because of the beautiful scenery they see in magazines, but in reality, development without understanding the local way of life has disrupted the area.
The exhibition also displays a lunar calendar to portray how farmers use it to help with planting schedules. The wooden planks are engraved with Isan phrases that reflect changes brought by the construction of the railway.
The phrase "pedalling up" describes how the land was raised to create a railway line, which made it difficult for elderly people to cycle across. The phrase na ta bod (landlocked rice field) describes a field that is unusable.
"In the blueprints, during the public hearing, the engineers showed that there were drainage holes, but in reality, there were no drainage holes and the rice fields were flooded. Since the railway will make transportation of goods easier, the merchants are the beneficiaries while the farmers will not gain anything, and in fact encounter many difficulties," said Anurak.
Wind, Sunlight, The Memory Garden by Akkarawin Krairiksh
"Wind, Sunlight, The Memory Garden" presents Akkarawin's childhood memories through mixed media including photography, video, recorded sounds, fabric and cyanotype. Akkarawin explained that the inspiration for the exhibition came from his grandfather's magazine, which contained an article discussing the concept of leaving living things in a garden to grow naturally.
Upon entering this exhibition, viewers will feel relaxed by hearing natural sounds the artist recorded from his garden. Hollow is a two-channel video installation documenting the fluttering of insects and subtle movement of animals in the city. Lenticels, a digital print on translucent fabric, is an enlarged image of orange jasmine which highlights the tree's lenticels, vital pores that plants use to breathe.
A main piece, Wind And Sunlight, is a lyocell-linen fabric treated with cyanotype solution. The fabric is placed in the shaded hollow of a tree to serve as a medium that reflects the relaxation and natural tranquillity of a garden.
Rebound Practice by Sunsanee Rungrueangsakorn
Sunsanee uses weight-related issues as an inspiration for her art. Rebound Practice depicts her own weight loss journey that began with unhealthy methods, such as taking diet pills or eating only one slice of bread a day. Her weight became stable when she started exercising and began practising intermittent fasting, which is an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating within a regular schedule. Rebound Practice presents a timeline of weight loss paintings and descriptions.
"It is a self-exploration presentation and demonstrates that there are many ways to lose weight, so people can choose the right method that is most beneficial to their bodies."
Cheun by Wittaya Chaimongkol
Born in Khao Yoi district, Phetchaburi, Wittaya drew inspiration for Cheun from Thai Song Dam fabric belonging to his grandmother, who is part of the Thai Song Dam community.
"The patterns on Thai Dam silk are simple and elegant. I believe that the design of these pattern lines could be incorporated in other kinds of products besides fabric used for traditional Thai skirts."
As a designer who creates decorative items using recycled paper, Wittaya decided to use materials he is familiar with to create his artwork. He explained that Thai Song Dam fabric is black with single and double white lines. The single line represents that humans are born alone, while the double lines mean that men and women are born to be together and have descendants to continue the lineage. Thus, he created a pregnant mannequin to present this storyline.
Wittaya confessed that he faced difficulties during the project because he was stuck in the framework of product design thinking.
"I usually design products to satisfy the buyers, but art is a matter of aesthetics and feelings, which takes time to understand."
Prototype D-04 by Praichayon Punda
Praichayon works in the Prop Department of an international film production; their latest work is the TV series Alien Earth. Praichayon was inspired by seeing the creative team bring imaginary creatures to life, so he decided to create the creature Prototype D-04 which is inspired by spiders. The creature has six legs and has kinetic movement which startles many visitors.
The creature's head is also transparent like glass. When looking inside, visitors can see many small monitors presenting various news videos.
"This creature has undeveloped organs due to a genetic problem. We can see in the creature's head that it has the burden of many problems, but also carries hope. All these can be seen through the holographic monitors which display 3D images of the creature's subconscious. The monitors present news regarding drugs, corruption and air pollution as well as positive news for hope."
"Off The Radar, We Rise" runs at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, 7th Floor, Main Exhibition Gallery, until May 31. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/baccpage.
