The Mekong Art & Culture Project Traveling Exhibition
‘Underlying’
Contemporary Art Exhibition From The Mekong Sub-Region
To be presided by : Professor Dr. Apinan Poshyananda
Artist : 20 artists from Cambodia, Lao P.D.R., Thailand and Vietnam
Cambodia : Seckon Leang, Sopheap Pich, Vannara Soeung, Sodavy Suos,
Rattana Vandy
Lao P.D.R : Mongkham Bualavanh, Marisa Darasavath, Kongpath Luangrath,Viengsay Phounsana, Mick Saylom
Vietnam : Ly Tran Quynh giang, Nguyen Manh Hung, Hguyen Quang Huy,
Ly Hoang Ly, Bui The Trung Nam
Thailand : Nupat Arjkla, Pramote Sangsorn, Suchada Sirithanawuddhi,Pim Suhikam, Buncha Suriyaburaphakul
Exhibition : 6 February – 5 March 2008 at Tadu Contemporary Art, Bangkok
Opening : Wednesday 6th February 2008 , 6 p.m.
21 March – 8 April 2008 at Meta House, Phnom Penh
25 April – 15 May 2008 at Maison de la Culture de Ban Naxay, Vientiane
30 May – 13 June 2008 at Viet Art Centre, Hanoi
Highlights
This major traveling exhibition – the first artists/curators collaboration in Mekong sub-region - features 32 art works from 20 artists from Cambodia, Lao P.D.R., Thailand and Vietnam, in varied contemporary art media; oil painting, mixed-media, woodcuts, video art, photography and installation. This exhibition is also the first event in the region that aims for curatorial capacity building by allowing participants to apply recently developed knowledge in real-world practice.
What will you find in this exhibition
Curated by Penwadee Nophaket Manont, Kong Vollak, Misouda Heuangsoukkhoun, and Le Ngoc Thanh
The curators refer to the exhibition, Underlying, as a metaphorical process to explore subjects that illustrate the diversity of people’s characteristics, social issues, and contemporary lifestyles in the region.
The exhibition will offer a window into the artistic spirit of each country. Discover why the rich development of contemporary art in Vietnam from 1997- 2007 can illuminate the significance of Vietnamese history and its effect on Vietnamese contemporary society. See and appreciate the artists’ original backgrounds in Lao's remoteness and distance from commercialism. Get a glimpse of the quintessential Thai tendency of having a “Blind Spot” by accepting everything without question. Take a journey on the road with Cambodia artists to understand how contemporary art in Cambodia reflects individual and social issues during Cambodia's struggle to reconcile past greatness and tragedy. The visual surfaces of the artworks in this exhibition tell many stories that have never been revealed anywhere.
Why is this exhibition different from others?
The unique aspects of this exhibition is not only the diversity and the significant reflecting of the social issues displaying through art works but also the curatorial process and its objective.
With supports from several local art and education organizations, both private and public, the exhibition has been able to use as experimental tool for the 4 new appointed curators to test run their recent knowledge and skills that they had gained from attending the curatorial workshops which took place in early 2007, organized by The Mekong Art and Culture Project and principally sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation.
The main aim is to promote learning practices and collaboration across borders through the curatorial process of contemporary art exhibitions. Four curators from Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, and Cambodia have been working together since May 2007 under the most democratized environment, providing freedom in expressing and conceptualising their ideas about place and people they live in through the artistic skills of their fellow artists. Under the guidance of the project team, the four appointed curators displayed their enthusiasm by substantially discussing and sharing opinions while formulating a consensus on the concepts and basic principals needed in curating a unified exhibition theme – Underlying, plus individual interpretations of sub themes, and the choice of artists and exhibition venues in each country.
The curators and the Mekong Art & Culture Project wish to bring the most dynamic collection of contemporary art in the Mekong sub-region into the wider audience as well as raise awareness of the curatorial practice and the essence of collaboration and learning through this exhibition.
