Floods slow Bangkok's art scene, though some exhibitions still on

Due to the floods that are currently swamping Bangkok, a number of art exhibitions have been postponed. That said, most city art venues are open for business as usual. 

Bangkok Art Map (BAM), published free every month in Thai and English, takes a look at the November art highlights that are still going ahead as planned.

Just be sure to check with galleries for the latest updates before visiting as the flood situation remains uncertain. 

Let’s Panic, until January 29

With a seeming increase in natural disasters and the looming threat of manmade catastrophes, society is looking for better ways to manage such devastating events.  

Artists and designers might not be the most obvious choice to solve such issues, but for this timely exhibition the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), in collaboration with the Design for Disasters network, has invited 15 artists and designers to present their ideas. 

Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC), 939 Rama I Road, Pathumwan. +66 (0)2 214 6630-1. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. www.bacc.or.th. BTS: National Stadium  

Otaku, November 19 – December 10 

In only her second solo exhibition, Charinthorn Rachurutchata reflects upon the youth cult that is Cosplay, the costumed character role-playing phenomenon derived from Manga and anime.  

Initially trained as a fashion photographer, her elaborate photo constructions and video work adopt the aesthetics of anime as well as the Christian symbolism superficially appropriated by Japanese cartoon and animation creators.      

Number 1 Gallery, Silom Galleria B1, 919/1 Silom Road Soi 19. +66 (0)2 630 2523. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. www.number1gallery.com. BTS: Surasak

My Magical Romance, until November 30

Recognized for his atmospheric monochromatic drawings on canvas, Chiang Mai-based artist Natthawut Singthong departs from previous themes of spiritualism and the female form to vizualise aspects of love.

His well-crafted renderings draw an analogy between bridal and evening gowns and the intricacies of relationships. 

Koi Art Gallery, 43/12 Sukhumvit Soi 31. +66 (0)2 662 3218. Open 10 a.m.–7 p.m. www.koiartgallerybangkok.com. BTS: Phrom Phong

 

The Essence of Impermanence, until December 4 

Winner of the prestigious Sovereign Asian Art Prize in 2006, Thai artist Uttaporn Nimmalaikaew established himself by developing a unique method of creating haunting spatial paintings.

Layering painted threads into a theatric, three-dimensional window frame, his seductive illusory technique is employed here to explore the now familiar Buddhist themes of truth and impermanence. 

Ardel Gallery of Modern Art, 99/45 Belle Ville, Boromratchonnanee Road (Km 10.5). +66 (0)2 422 2092. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. www.ardelgallery.com 

Time Passengers, November 26 – December 17

Western photographers have long been seduced by the exotic allure of Southeast Asia, including Jean-Francois Périgois, who for the past six years has been pointing his lens toward daily life and happenstance in Cambodia.  

Périgois is most interested in the random intersections and reactions one encounters when carrying a camera in hand. 

Gossip Gallery & Teo + Namfah Gallery, Silom Galleria 3F, 919/1 Silom Road Soi 19. +66 (0)2 637 7878. Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. BTS: Surasak

Sun Room, until December 10     

Having recently broadened their international focus with exhibitions of African and Argentinean art, the inter@thavibu space profiles the woodblock prints of Bangkok-based British artist Ralph Kiggell.

Trained in Japanese print traditions, Kiggell here switches from an interest in the architecture of industrial structures to the organic light and colors found in the tropics. 

Thavibu Gallery, Suite 308, Silom Galleria F3, 919/1 Silom Road, Soi 19. +66 (0)2 266 5454. Open Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. www.thavibu.com. BTS: Surasak  

Immortality of Nature, until December 3        

Originally shown in the 2008 exhibition Krungthep 226 at the BACC, Whitespace is re-showing Tatiya Udomsawat’s series of constructed digital images of a post-apocalyptic Bangkok being reclaimed by nature.

Despite being regurgitated, his imaginative projections of an overgrown capital à la Life After People are fascinating. 

Whitespace Gallery, Lido Building 2/F, 260 Siam Square 3. +66 (0)2 252 2900. Open Tuesday-Friday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. or by appointment. www.whitesp-ce.com. BTS: Siam

Published monthly, the Bangkok Art Map (BAM) is a free monthly guide to Bangkok’s growing art arena. Written in both English and Thai, BAM’s put together by Steven Petifor, one of Thailand’s leading art writers, and is available all over the city.