See Thai art at the 8th Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT8) in Queensland
11 November 2015
Leading artists from Thailand will take part in The 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT8) at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Brisbane, Australia from 21 November 2015.
“The Asia-Pacific Triennial plays a unique role in contributing to cultural understanding within the Asia-Pacific region and particularly within Australia and I am delighted works from Thai artists will be included this year,” said Australian Ambassador to Thailand Mr Paul Robilliard.
Sharply realistic landscapes by Paphonsak La-or and large-scale figurative paintings by Navin Rawanchaikul will be among the works by 83 artist and artists groups from 36 countries across Asia and the Pacific at the triennial.
The Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art was initiated by the Queensland Art Gallery in 1993 and is the only series of art exhibitions in the world to focus on contemporary art from the Asia-Pacific region.
“The two artists from Thailand participating in APT8 address questions of current politics, and join together both local and global issues. Their inclusion is particularly appropriate for APT8 given the exhibitions broad themes of how the human form can express cultural, social and political ideas.” QAGOMA Director Chris Saines CNZM, said.
APT8 will be held at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art from 21 November 2015 to 10 April 2016. For more information on the exhibition and associated activities visit www.gagoma.qld.gov.au
Navin RAWANCHAIKUL Thailand b.1971
Tales of Navin 1 2013-15
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas
160 x 250cm
Image courtesy: The artist and Navin Production Co., Ltd.
Courtesy: The artist
Navin RAWANCHAIKUL Thailand b.1971
Tales of Navin 3 2013-15
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas
160 x 250cm
Image courtesy: The artist and Navin Production Co., Ltd.
Courtesy: The artist
Paphonsak La-or
Thailand b. 1981
Don’t leave me alone with people here (from ‘Silent No More’ series) 2014-15
Synthetic polymer paint and dust on canvas
112 x 124cm
Proposed for the Queensland Art Gallery Collection
Image courtesy: The artist
Paphonsak La-or
Thailand b. 1981
Less criminals more crime (from ‘Silent No More’ series) 2014-15
Synthetic polymer paint and dust on canvas
112 x 124cm
Proposed for the Queensland Art Gallery Collection
Image courtesy: The artist
NAVIN RAWANCHAIKUL
Born 1971, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Lives and works in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Fukuoka, Japan
Navin Rawanchaikul first showed at the Queensland Art Gallery in 1996 for ‘The 2nd Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’. His signature works are panoramic figurative paintings that draw on film posters and murals, although he has worked across media to create a rich universe of interconnected stories, people and communities. He recently celebrated 20 years of his art production company, Navin Production, which emphasises the collaborative and socially engaged possibilities of art. For this milestone he created new works that looked retrospectively at the many characters,places and communities that have been a part of his career. APT8 features a series of these new works, ‘Tales of Navin 1–4’ 2015, capturing the many guises of the artist throughout his career while contemplating life and death. Accompanying the series is a letter From Navin to Navin (January 2, 2015) 2015 Rawanchaikul has composed to himself that reflects on his relationships, love and death, including the loss of his mentor, pioneering Thai artist Montien Boonma and Rawanchaikul’s trips to Australia to assist the late artist in the 1990s.
PAPHONSAK LA-OR
Born 1981, Nonthaburi, Thailand
Lives and works in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Paphonsak La-or’s sharply realistic drawings, paintings and conceptual works offer acute critiques of Thai politics and history. His recent series ‘Silent No More’ 2014–15 features empty landscapes around Fukushima and Futaba in Japan, areas abandoned following the 2011 nuclear disasters. La-or viewed the terrain obsessively through Google Maps and discovered a connection between his fascination with these quiet, uninhabitable landscapes and his frustration with the current political situation in Thailand. At the time, Thailand was experiencing a period of political instability, resulting in the military coup of May 2014. Finding similarity in the beautiful, lush landscapes of Japan and around his hometown of Chiang Mai, La-or emphasises the contradictions between the apparently serene and peaceful scenes and the turbulent situations they represent. By placing texts rendered in dust below the images he further undermines their idyllic tranquillity.
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