Starting 18.00 hrs. onwards. Drinks and snacks will be served.
Speaker Bios
Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda
Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda received his bachelor and master degree in Fine Arts from Edinburgh University and Ph.D. in History of Art from Cornell University. Poshyananda served as Director-General, Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Director-General of Cultural Promotion Department and, the Permanent Secretary and Acting Minister, Ministry of Culture (Thailand) when he was to commission and curate the first Thai Pavilion at 50th Venice Biennale. He has curated and directed international art exhibitions including Contemporary Art from Asia: Traditions/Tensions (1996, Grey Art Gallery, Queen Museum of Art, and Asia Society Galleries, New York); Traces of Siamese Smile: Art + Faith + Politic + Love (2008, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre), Thailand Eye (2015, Saatchi Gallery, London and BACC). He is a committee member of the Asian Cultural Council, New York; Solomon Guggenheim Museum, New York; Board of National Gallery, Singapore; Board of Foundation of BACC; and Advisor to President and CEO, Thai Beverage Plc
Thanet Awsinsiri
Thanet Awsinsiri grew up in the countryside with a love for reading. He became particularly interested in painting as a medium that can convey deep feelings about humans, nature and society. He has become fascinated by femininity that represents an intimate dream of closeness to nature. Subsequently, because of his interests in books, movies, and music, and knowledge in art history as a lecturer, he utilizes a variety of media for a series of exhibitions, creating paintings, films, and referencing international masterpieces. Thanet Awsinsiri graduated from the Department of Visual Arts, School of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University. He began his career as an artist in 1990, working in watercolor and gouache. In 1995, Awsinsiri began using acrylic paint and creating large-scale works. By 2016, he has changed his mode and began creating videos and installations. His most recent exhibition was L'Origine du monde (The Origin of the World), in which he made installations in dialogue with Gustave Courbet’s L'Origine du monde, which was shown at 100 Tonson Gallery in 2018.
Tawan Wattuya
Tawan Wattuya is best known for his distinctive approach to watercolour and thought-provoking subjects. His choice of medium is a clear attempt to convey the speed and dynamism he perceives in contemporary Thai society. He consciously chooses to view his homeland from a distance, studying the social and political situation from afar in order to explore with depth and understand both his hometown and the different places he encounters. It is clear that Wattuya’s paintings are always poetic, personal, but nevertheless provocative in terms of his critical engagement with current issues. He is considered today one of Thailands’ most unique and engaged painters. His works have been exhibited extensively all over the globe. ROUGE GALLERY: MONSTERS, VILLAINS & HELLBENT POLITICIANS (New York, 2018); QUEEN (Tokyo, 2019); HATCH ART PROJECT (Singapore, 2019). Tawan Wattuya currently lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand.
I-na Phuyuthanon
I-na Phuyuthanon received the Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, Faculty of Architecture from the King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang in 2006, and Master’s degree in Computer Arts, Faculty of Arts and Design, Rangsit University in 2009. In 2014, she completed her Doctor’s degree in Visual Arts, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, where she became a lecturer in 2013. Since August 2013, she has been with the Visual Art, Faculty of Fine Arts, Srinakharinwirot University where she took the role as Research Advisor for the undergraduate students and became a researcher in 2014.
Her current researches include: The State After Losses from the Insurgencies in the Three Southern Provinces of Thailand, The Mental State of Orphans Suffering from the Insurgencies in the Three Southern Provinces of Thailand, The Pressured State of Ethnic Identity Expressions of My Patani, and Stigmatized Humans Suffering from the Insurgencies in the Three Southern Provinces of Thailand and The Study of Stories from Memories in Tea Shops in the Three Southern Provinces of Thailand are for the creation of video arts. All her research is related to the current situation in the three southern border provinces of Thailand.
Her exhibitions include: Video Art: My Fear My Everyday (Matsu County Government & National, Chengchi University, 2013), Video Art: My Fear My Everyday (ADM GALLERY – NTU Singapore, 2013); Women’s Suppression (5th International Conference for Asia Pacific Arts Studies (ICAPUS), Indonesia Institute of the Arts (ISI), 2017 and MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, 2018); The Stigmatic Victims (Gwangju Biennale, 2018).
Tan Kositpipat
Tan Kositpipat completed secondary school in England and graduated with a bachelor's degree with honors in film from Kingston University. After returning to Thailand, he started working in the television and film industry for a while. Then he decided to apply for Thai military service in Chiang Rai Province and was discharged in 2017, after which he made a book, entitled “Tan Khun” that tells stories with images from his experience of being a soldier. Making this book was the starting point for his decision to become an independent artist. Even though he had never studied painting directly, he has drawn the experience of storyboard paintings and the concept of the film image to create a work of art in his own styles until today.
Kositpipat has a focus on natural and man-made social and environmental problems including modern technologies. In 2019, his solo exhibition Maya showcased over 50 paintings, all of which reflect a real relationship, but is hidden deep through the internet world nowadays. Moreover, in this exhibition, he has also created an opaque room, installed with 60 tablets to tell stories that reflect the relationship from friends in his online world.
His past exhibitions include Tang Tan (MOCA Bangkok, Bangkok, 2017) At Dawn, a group exhibition (Ardel's Third Place Gallery, Bangkok, 2018) One Last Home, a solo exhibition (Songkran, New York, 2018) and Maya (LHONG 1919, Bangkok, 2019). Kositpipat is currently working at a studio in Bangkok.
Yuree Kensaku
Half Thai-half Japanese artist Kensaku was born and raised in Bangkok. She completed her Bachelor degree at Bangkok University. She is internationally known in the contemporary art scene. In her work, she often uses electrifying colours, rich sense of humour, and candy-coated cartoon characters with a dark twist. Wildly entertaining at a first glance, Kensaku’s works persistently present bold, critical commentary on society, as well as intimate introspection on her personal life as a female artist. Kensaku’s works has featured in numerous exhibitions including The Adventure of Momotaro Girl, Artist in Yokohama Museum of Art (2007); Memories and Beyond, Kuandu Biennale, Taiwan (2010); A Time for Dreams, The 4th Moscow International Biennale for Young Art, Museum of Moscow (2014); Imaginarium: Over the Ocean, Under the Sea, 8Q, Singapore Art Museum (2016); Edge of the Wonderland, Thailand Biennale, (2018); and Residency program and exhibition at Centre Intermondes, La Rochelle, France (2020).
Wutigorn Kongka
Asst. Prof. Wutigorn Kongka holds his bachelor and master degree in Fine Arts from Silpakorn University. With 20 years experience in the art industry, Kongka processes a robust knowledge and diverse experiences in fine art in almost every aspect – in practice, theory and history. He has shown credibility in the field of contemporary art. He was invited to be a committee Young Thai Artist Award by SCG foundation and Early Year Project by Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, a group-head operation of Traces of Siamese Smile exhibition. In 2018, he was Art Manager of the 1st Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) overseeing all process of production and installation. Moreover, he contributed to the training programme for young talent to join the BAB called ‘Dek BAB’ (BAB Kid). Kongka is an artist and lecturer, a prolific art academic, at the Fine Arts Department, Faculty of Architecture, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang.
Atinuj Tantivit (Atty), Co-founder of “Thailand Art Ecosystem Group”
Born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, Atty is a supporter and promoter of art, craft and design in Thailand. She founded ATTA Gallery, specializes in contemporary art and design objects for the body, in 2010. In 2014 she co-founded Paw Dee Lifestyle, a concept store promoting contemporary Thai crafts. She also founded ‘N’ ATTA Gallery in November of 2019 to promote small-scale artwork of various media, with a special focus on material-based art. And most recently, at the end of 2020…the aftermath of Covid-19, she moved her two galleries to a new location at Warehouse 30 and added an additional “art space” to it. With this new ATTA ‘N’ ATTA Art Space, Atty aims to promote art of various shapes and forms as well as of various art disciplines to a more general audience.
Atty has been active in her community that is now dubbed the Creative District of Bangkok and is one of the founding members of Creative District Foundation, whose aim is to foster creative economy and creative living in various communities in Thailand. In 2020, soon after Covid-10 outbreak, she has jointly launched a Facebook group called Thailand’s Art Ecosystem with Shane Suvikapakornkul and Nim Niyomsilp, to provide a platform for informal yet practical education on various art professionals regarding their roles and responsibilities and to encourage professional interactions and better understandings within the field.
Vorathit Kruavanichkit, Chief Creative Officer, Farmgroup
Vorathit Kruavanichkit is a Chief Creative Officer and Co-founder of Farmgroup, an independent creative and design consultancy based in Bangkok. Farmgroup annually organizes the Hotel Art Fair gathering top galleries around the region which aims to provide the public with a more casual and comfortable atmosphere to view art
Piriya Vachajitpan, collector and co-founder of Thai Art Collectors Association
Piriya Vachajitpan is an avid art collector and influencer specializing in Thai Modern Art. He is the co-founder and current Director of the Thai Art Collectors Association, a group which has now over 100 members over the past years. Vachajitpan is Managing Partner of the newly-founded Bangkok Art Auction, and also an art columnist who frequently covers Thai Modern Art History.
Punnapa Parimetachai, Director at JWD Art Space
Punnapa Parimetachai is a director at JWD Art Space. JWD Art Space has been designed and created with a deep understanding and utmost perfection to be Art logistic solutions in Thailand, they provide the full inclusive service, process of shipping, documenting, advising and handling of Arts under the supervision of expertise.
Sermkhun Kunawong, collector, founder of Bangkok Sculpture Center and CEO of CMO Group
Sermkhun Kunawong is the Group CEO at CMO Group, one of Southeast Asia’s biggest experiential marketing, event management, and event supplies company. Kunawong is also the founder of the Bangkok Sculpture Center and Sermkhun Kunawong Museum House, and president of the companies Bangkok Art Management Co., Ltd., Bangkok Conservation Co., Ltd., and is on the board of directors at Bangkok Art Auction Co., Ltd.
Gwen Robinson, President of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand
Gwen Robinson is editor-at-large of Nikkei Asia, a journal of Asian affairs, and is a senior fellow at the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, where she focuses on regional economic and security issues. She was previously a senior correspondent and editor with the Financial Times in Europe, Asia and the US (1995-2013), most recently as Bangkok bureau chief covering Southeast Asia (2011-14. She is also president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.
Philip Cornwel-Smith, writer
A resident of Thailand since 1994, Briton Philip Cornwel-Smith works as a freelance writer for River Books. The author of the best-selling book Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture and a frequent speaker on the subject, he was the founding editor of Bangkok Metro, the capital’s first listings magazine and authored/edited four editions of the Time Out Bangkok City Guidebook.
Loredana Pazzini-Paracciani, curator
Loredana Pazzini-Paracciani is an independent scholar and curator of Southeast Asian contemporary art. Her research and curatorial practice revolve around critical socio-political issues in Southeast Asia, advocating a counter-hegemonic and non-Western-centric discourse. She curated Diaspora: Exit, Exile, Exodus of Southeast Asia (2019) at MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, Thailand; and Architectural Landscapes: SEA in the Forefront (2015) at Queens Museum, New York, along with several exhibitions for commercial galleries in the US, UK, and Southeast Asia. Her published academic research are included in Frames Cinema Journal, University of St Andrews, UK; Convocarte: Revista de Ciências da Arte, Lisbon University, Portugal; and M.A.tter Unbound, LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, among others. She is a member of the Association for Southeast Asian Studies in UK, and Research Network for Transcultural Practices in the Arts and Humanities, Berlin University. Together with Patrick D. Flores, Loredana co-edited the anthology Interlaced Journeys: Diaspora and the Contemporary in Southeast Asian Art, published in 2020 by Osage Art Foundation, Hong Kong.Loredana is based between London, UK, and Bangkok, Thailand.
Rémy Jarry, lecturer at Chulalongkorn University
Dr. Rémy Jarry is a Lecturer at Chulalongkorn University - Faculty of Communication Arts and an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Paris. He received his PhD in Art History & Theory from the China Academy of Art. He also holds an MBA from Sorbonne Business School as well as three MA from Sorbonne University, Paris (respectively in Art History, Cultural Journalism and Marketing & Communications). His main research interests are related to Asian Art, Museum Studies, and Creatives Industries. Fluent in French, English, and Chinese, Dr Jarry regularly participates to international conferences while writing for art magazines.
Jongsuwat Angsuvansiri, Subhashok the Arts Centre (S.A.C.)
Jongsuwat Angsuvarnsiri is currently the managing director at SAC Gallery in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, representing Thai contemporary artists. As an alumnus at the Sotheby’s Institute’s Art Business program, his interests are in art investment and the contemporary art market. A young collector and also an art consultant, Jongsuwat focuses on collection design and advises on collection management. The SAC Gallery also provides residency programs and conservation services as well as regular art-related workshops.
Sutima Sucharitakul, Nova Contemporary
Sutima Sucharitakul founded Nova Contemporary with an aim to cultivate the reciprocal exchange of contemporary art and culture across Southeast Asia and beyond.
Since 2016, Nova Contemporary has been exhibiting established and emerging artists from Thailand and in the region.
Nova Contemporary was the first Thai gallery exhibited in the Art Basel Discoveries section exhibiting the first Burmese Artist in the fair.
Sutima presents ongoing programs of boldly themed exhibitions in a variety of media that spark conversation, foster engagement, and incubate new concepts.
She holds a degree in MA History of Art from School of Oriental and Africa Studies (SOAS), London and an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Jirat Ratthawongjirakul, Gallery VER and N22
Jirat “Tae” Ratthawongjirakul is the keeper of Rirkrit Tiravanija’s interests in Bangkok as the manager of Gallery VER. Over the years he has represented the gallery, working closely with Rirkrit himself and the artists who show with the gallery. Having found a new home for VER in a very cool and derelict warehouse, he is actively promoting established and up-and-coming artists both as a gallerist and dealer.
Registration
Session 1: Artist Discussion: Politics – Covid-19 – Artist Career
10.15 – 11.30 hrs.
