The country is brimming with great shows, from the second Thailand Biennale to exhibitions by artists like Ho Rui An and Apichatpong Weerasetakul&nbsp;

David Willis

Thailand: what to see right now

Located outside the traditional&nbsp;Thai artworld centers of Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Korat, the capital of the north-eastern Isan region, is currently hosting the Thailand Biennale. Now in its (delayed) second edition, the biennale features work by 53 artists and collectives.&nbsp;Visitors can join group hypnotherapy sessions organized by the Danish collective&nbsp;
	<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/10520/Superflex">Superflex</a> at the Korat Fossil Museum, interact with a newly commissioned sculpture by Akras Pornkajornkijkul at Bung Ta Lua Water Park,&nbsp;and view site-specific works at the Thai Crane Research Center within the Korat Zoo. Themed around sustainable development, the biennale also poses interesting questions to the city itself, as the region attempts to promote tourism and investment while simultaneously remaining true to its roots.

The biennale is only one of many noteworthy exhibitions taking place in Thailand right now. Here are six highlights.

Ho Rui An, ‘The Economy Enters the People’ <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/13555/Bangkok-CityCity-Gallery">Bangkok CityCity Gallery</a>, Bangkok Through February 20, 2022In this project Singaporean conceptual artist Ho Rui An explores the history of economic relations between China and Singapore, as the socialist nation has looked to the city-state repeatedly over the years for inspiration during periods of economic reform. Desks are arranged in two semi-circles, bisected by a giant screen showing edited archival video footage, while individual monitors on some of the desks display a lecture/performance given by the artist from different angles. The installation evokes the soulless effect of an official government panel, yet the dividing wall of historical footage complicates matters, suggesting, as the show’s title does, a disconnect between ‘the economy’ and ‘the people’.

Arin Rungjang, ‘Oblivion’ <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/13451/Nova-Contemporary">Nova Contemporary</a>, Bangkok Through February 5, 2022In this exhibition of text, video, painting, and installation, Arin Rungjang addresses the theme of ‘oblivion’ through a poetic interweaving of narratives of loss. Some of these narratives are intensely personal, including the recent death of the artist’s sister, and the violent death of his father when he was young. Other threads refer to a more communal sort of loss, as he shares the stories of Isan miners who saw the lush wilderness obliterated by mines and farms and who witnessed the slaughter of leftist college students in the aftermath of Black May in 1992. In the center of the gallery sits a grand piano – a bitter reminder of the artist’s childhood music lessons that his mother couldn’t afford after his father’s passing. The odor of iron ore fills the room, juxtaposing the pain of the individual with the pain of the land.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul, ‘A Minor History’ 100 Tonson Foundation, Bangkok Part One: Through January 30, 2022 Part Two: February 11 – April 10, 2022


	Renowned for his award-winning feature films such as 
	Uncle Boonmee Who Can Remember His Past Lives (2020), <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/21154/Apichatpong-WEERASETHAKUL">Apichatpong Weerasethakul</a> is also a talented visual artist. His latest project, exhibited in this two-part show at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1319/100-Tonson-Gallery">100 Tonson Foundation</a>, was born of a road trip along the Mekong River and tells the story of a man who discovered the bodies of murdered political activists dumped in its waters. This true account is told in parallel with a fictional tale of two lovers strolling by the riverbank, narrated by the young Isan poet Mek Krung Fah in the style of an old radio drama. In addition to a three-channel video, the project also consists of photographs and an old Morlam backdrop used in Isan folk performance, dimly illuminated by the flickering videos.

Kawita Vatanajyankur, ‘Spinning Wheels’ Jim Thompson House Museum, Bangkok Through February 28, 2022Located within the historic wooden structure from which the Jim Thompson House takes its name, this exhibition of works by Kawita Vatanajyankur tackles systems of patriarchy. In her video-performances, displayed here on monitors amidst the building’s original furnishings, the artist employs her own body like an inanimate object, used to perform household chores and other (often under-compensated) activities stereotypically relegated to women. Such tasks and jobs are, in her work, often related to textiles – a theme of particular resonance in the context of this historic silk production site.

‘Human(e)’ Museum of Contemporary Art, Bangkok Through January 30, 2022Organized by independent curator Nim Niyomsin, this exhibition presents work by four contemporary Thai artists, loosely contending with the question of what it means to be ‘humane’. Kanya Charoensupkul’s massive acrylic painting Which : Way&nbsp;(2021) depicts a pigeon across multiple panels installed at floor height, while Pairoj Pichetmetakul's work&nbsp;was created during collaborative art therapy sessions with imprisoned people as part of the artist’s ‘Hope In The Prison’ project (2021–ongoing). In the final room, a dialogue is generated between Imhathai Suwatthanasilp’s modified found photos – which allude to the messy history of Thai politics – and Temjai Cholsiri’s precarious installations made from materials like balloons and barbed wire.

‘Errata: Collecting Entanglements and Embodies Histories’ MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, Chiang Mai Through February 14, 2022


	The MAIIAM museum is arguably Thailand’s finest, and this exhibition exemplifies the institution’s glocal purview with an impressive lineup. Works by Thai heavyweights like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7088/Rirkrit-Tiravanija" style="font-size: 14px;">Rirkrit Tiravanija</a> are displayed alongside pieces by lesser-known figures such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/17301/Ho-Tzu-Nyen" style="font-size: 14px;">Ho Tzu Nyen</a> from Singapore and Khvay Samnang from Cambodia. Beyond the region, legendary master of ‘social sculpture’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8808/Joseph-Beuys" style="font-size: 14px;">Joseph Beuys</a> also makes an appearance: Beuys’s pioneering ideas were key to the Chiang Mai Social Installation – the spunky DIY art festival that put the city on the art map during the 1990s. The festival was largely sponsored by the painter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/stories/how-i-became-an-artist-mit-jai-inn" style="font-size: 14px;">Mit Jai Inn</a>, whose work can also be found in the show. ‘Errata’ is a corrected error or list of errors discovered post-printing and appended to a text or a book. Used here, the word conveys the curators’ intention to sketch a more holistic – perhaps corrected – image of contemporary art in Southeast Asia by tracing the exchange of ideas beyond national borders.

	David Willis is a critic and curator specializing in the contemporary art of Southeast Asia. He is a regular contributor to magazines such as Art Asia Pacific and Art &amp; Market, and his most recent curated exhibition, ‘Unlearning’, took place at RKFA Singapore in October 2020.


	Top image:&nbsp;Installation view of Arin Rungjang's exhibition 'Oblivion', Nova Contemporary, 2021–22. Courtesy of Nova Contemporary, Bangkok.

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The country is brimming with great shows, from the second Thailand Biennale to exhibitions by artists like Ho Rui An and Apichatpong Weerasetakul

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