Bangkok's November art scene: Photo masters and an ode to porn

Despite October being packed with cultural festivals and shows, November looks to be just as satisfying for art lovers, thanks to some decent shows featuring artists from around Thailand and the region.

Bangkok Art Map (BAM!), published every month and distributed free in Bangkok, shares its top picks for November.

Diverse Visions, until November 28

Already having curated the ongoing exhibition of northern female artists at DOB Hualamphong, Chiang Mai-based art historian Somporn Rodboon opens a second exposé of the northern arts scene with a group exhibition by MFA graduates from Chiang Mai University at Chulalongkorn’s Art Center. Mostly through paintings, the seven artists use personal imagery to affirm their affinity toward northern, or Lanna, culture, as well as more familiar Buddhist themes.

Monday-Friday, 9am-7pm. Chulalongkorn University, 7th Floor, Center of Academic Resources  tel. +66 (0)2 218 2965

Masters, November 7 to December 13

Ahead of his upcoming participation in this year’s 6th Asia-Pacific Triennial in Brisbane, and a solo exhibition at Sydney’s Chalk Horse gallery, leading Thai photographer Manit Sriwanichpoom gives Bangkok audiences a preview of his Australian expedition with his latest series “Masters” at his own Kathmandu Photo Gallery. With Kathmandu having closed its doors in October for renovations, Manit’s eerie series of blurred monochrome clergymen is sure to revive the gallery/bookshop’s regular flow of visitors.

Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-7pm, Kathmandu Photo Gallery, 87 Soi Pan, Silom Rd, BTS: Chong Nonsi, tel. +66 (0)2 234 6700

Photocubism, until December 1

As an independent director and producer, Mingmongkol Sonakul has made a significant contribution to the vitality and creative direction of recent Thai cinema. Yet prior to her career in film, Mingmongkol’s passion was photography. Returning to her creative roots with her first solo exhibition, “Photocubism,” on now at La Lanta, Mingmongkol’s mosaic photo composites blur a diversity of locales as she documents her subjects from a variety of angles and through distorted time frames. 

Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-7pm. La Lanta, 245/14 Sukhumvit Soi 31, BTS: Phrom Phong. tel. +66 (0)2 260 5381

 

Beyond, November 7-28

Chiang Mai-based artist Kamin Lertchaiprasert presents another dharma-inspired installation that continues his search for a better understanding of life and nature. For Kamin, the process of recording his thoughts and emotions over a period of time is a preoccupation that has manifested from the artist’s daily meditation sessions. A follow-up to last year’s similarly titled exhibition at 100 Tonson, the artist presents 24 coarsely molded bronze sculptures that allude to a state of being beyond human perception at Numthong Gallery.    

Monday-Saturday, 11am-6pm. Numthong, 1129/29 Co-Op Housing Bldg #109, Thoedumri Road, Dusit. tel. +66 (0)2 243 4326

Story of the Eye, November 12 to
December 12

Thai painter Tawan Wattuya joins forces with local fashion photographer Tada Varich for an erotically charged exhibition at Gossip Gallery that arouses the senses while questioning shifting sexual attitudes and the thorny subject of censorship in Thailand. Against a backdrop of Internet pornography, Tawan’s teasing watercolors, adapted from explicit websites, are a contrast to Tada’s revealing flesh-dominant snapshots.    

Monday-Saturday, 10:30am-7pm. Gossip Gallery, 3/F Silom Galleria, 919/1 Silom Road, BTS: Surasak. tel. +66 (0)2  237 5568

The Disabled, until December 2

Last year at Whitespace Gallery, Thai photographer Ohm Phanphiroj highlighted real portraits of Thailand’s third sex, known locally as "katoey" or "ladyboys." For this year’s solo exhibition at H Gallery, the award-winning photographer aims his lens at another marginalized section of the populace, the physically challenged. More social commentary than fine art photography, the 18 disturbing prints in "The Disabled" capture the brutal reality and archaic attitudes that belie Thailand’s health care system.   

10am-6pm. H Gallery, 201 Soi 12 Sathorn Road, BTS: Surasak. tel. +66 (0)81 310 4428

 

Broadsheet Notations: Epilogue, until November 28

After debuting at Tang Hong Kong, this exhibition comes to Bangkok’s Tang Contemporary Art Gallery with a fresh lineup of artists who present paper-based artworks that draw attention to paper's gradual demise as an everyday material. While some lament the rise of digital record keeping, environmentalists champion the shift away of paper as a move that eases strain on planetary resources. Artists from China, the Philippines and Indonesia join together with Thai artists Phaptawan Suwannakud, Somyot Hananuntasuk, ThaiwijitPuengkasemsomboon and Tawan Wattuya.

Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-7pm. Tang Contemporary Art, B-28 Silom Galleria, 919/1 Silom Road Soi 19, BTS: Surasak. tel. +66 (0)2 630 1114

Twist and Shout

Twist and Shout, November 19 to January 10

Part of the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009, the Japan Foundation brings together 17 established and emerging Japanese artists for this pop-inspired exhibition at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center. Highlighting the influence of genres such as manga and anime, as well as other Japanese subculture trends, the exhibition features paintings, sculptures, videos and photographs. Organizers hope the exhibition will succeed in betraying the conventional view of Japanese contemporary culture, and, hence, prompt Thai perceptions on Japan to be renewed.

10am-9pm, BACC, BTS: National Stadium. tel. +66 (0)2 214 6630