Bangkok Art and Culture Centre is a well-known as an art centre in Bangkok. This year, it launched the Local Networking Project to provide a platform for artists from other regions besides the capital. The project involves fieldwork in various locations across the country. Artists have the opportunity to explore local legends, folktales, unrecorded histories and contemporary community lifestyles.
The exhibition “Local Myths” was developed under the Local Networking Project. It displays art pieces created by individuals as well as group artists. The concept of “Local Myths” is intrinsic aesthetics, which focuses on exploring the beauty inspired by local legends, stories, beliefs and ways of life.
Penwadee Nophaket Manont, exhibition curator, explained that the idea of the Local Networking Project came about after she worked with local artists in three southern border provinces and Isan.
“I wanted to work with more artists in rural areas, so I proposed the project to BACC since the idea would bring variety to exhibitions there. When I visited other provinces, I invited artists from Bangkok and other countries to go on these trips with me to observe local artwork and conduct research. The project is not only about creating the exhibition, but also fosters exchanges which ripple through the art ecosystem,” Penwadee explained.
“Working with local artists was eye-opening and helped me realise that they had less opportunity to display their artwork. When an opportunity came up, it challenged them to improve their skills. After a decade of working with local artists, two artists — Prach Pimarnman, a lecturer at Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus and Asst Prof Adisak Phupa, a lecturer at Mahasarakham University — became role models to inspire their students and younger generations. Their artwork is collected by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture. Additionally, their work has been accepted and showcased in many countries.”
Here are some exhibition highlights
Title: Anonymous Letter
Artist Group: Melayu Living
Melayu Living was founded in October 2015, initially as a collective of architects based in southern Thailand. Members include architects from Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, as well as photographers, graphic designers, and columnists — many of whom were either raised in the Deep South or educated in Bangkok and overseas.
Anonymous Letter is presented through installations in the form of a red living room. Everything in the area is red, such as the carpet, the standing lamp, the vase, the flowers, the tea pots and the tea cups. Penwadee explained that red symbolises that the Deep South is a red zone.
“The three southern border provinces are considered war zones or red zones. Though Melayu Living creates art, their work was accused of being funded by terrorists. For this exhibition, the group made copies of anonymous accusation letters they received and used them as part of their installation. The letters are wrapped around the objects and covered with a red material, thus remaining hidden under the red covering.”
Title: Stroke
Artist: Nuriya Waji
The main work at Stroke is a long tie-dyed textile that displays a map of Sai Buri River which runs through Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani. Nuriya, the artist, explained that her father who operates a fishing equipment shop often told her about the Sai Buri River and that inspired her to search for information.
“I learned from a researcher that the Sai Buri River used to be the main river of the Deep South but it was turned into canals in several areas. I felt the river is getting sick like humans whose blood vessels narrow, so I named my work Stroke.”
Additionally, Stroke uses the voice of Nuriya’s father to tell the story of the past about Sai Buri River. Since the river was an area of gold panning, the exhibition displays a tiny piece of gold from Sukhirin district in Narathiwat. Besides fabric and gold, Stroke displays samples of soil from locations where the river once flowed.
Nuriya hopes that Stroke will encourage viewers to ponder “how can people live in harmony with nature?”.
Title: Butterfly Effect
Artist: Nithi Roongreang
Butterfly Effect is a collection of lenticular photographs inspired by a landscape photo taken by Nithi’s late mother. His mother’s photo portrays the view in front of his house which shows part of Nong Prachak Silpakorn, a large lake. It is named after Prince Prachak Silpakorn, the founder of Udon Thani.
The area in front of Nithi’s house is currently used as a space for community art activities. Butterfly Effect was created by people in the local art community, who photographed landscapes of Nong Prachak Silpakorn from different angles and periods of times. Photos were printed using lenticular, a printing technology that creates the illusion of 3D movement or depth.
Udon Thani has many historical sites and stories, however, when the province wanted to create a landmark to attract tourists, yellow rubber ducks were chosen to be installed at Nong Prachak Silpakorn Park.
“Udon Thani is a province with a rich history, but it has never used information from its history or cultural heritage to create meaningful landmarks. The yellow ducks have no roots to Udon Thani. Therefore, Butterfly Effect is a display which may help bring about some changes,” Nithi said.
Title: New Normal
Artists from Mahasarakham Mid-field Artspace — Adisak Phupa, Anurak Khotchomphu, Sittikorn Khawsa-ad, Chaiyapat Yachay and Parinya Saenkan
New Normal consists of many mixed media art pieces inspired by the production process of exporting earthworms in Ban Kham Pom, Pathum Rat district in Roi Et. Penwadee explained that the earthworm business in Roi Et started during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Due to a shortage of some herbal medicines during the pandemic, people from China came to survey the area and discovered that the earthworm species in Roi Et could be used to make herbal medicines. Thus, earthworms became a new community economy. The story of community economy is interesting and our team saw it as the beauty within the reality that occurs in specific areas,” explained Penwadee.
One of the many pieces, Fight Everyday is made of a handwoven fabric and plastic sheets which display a map that marks factories and markets engaged in earthworm trading. It offers a magnified view of the community before the emergence of earthworm trade and developments since then.
Title: Motherhood
Artists: Keeta Isran and Hayanee Malee
Motherhood is a mixed media sculpture consisting of patchwork, prints and drawings. The fabrics are beautiful, but at the same time, they carry a heavy burden inside, just like mothers do.
“Although mothers have a lot of responsibility, they are still happy to take care of their children and can joke about their overwhelming work when gathering with other mothers. Motherhood represents femininity and the strength of Muslim women. Some patchworks are from the hem of skirts of women who live in Pattani and Narathiwat,” explained Keeta.