The Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) Foundation presents The Spirits of Maritime Crossing, a group exhibition by artists from Southeast Asia examining the themes of displacement, diaspora, and colonialism through the lens of the ocean curated by Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda, Artistic Director of Bangkok Art Biennale.
Spanning a range of mediums including painting, sculpture, mixed media and video installations and featuring fifteen artists from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand, The Spirits of Maritime Crossing addresses complex realities, diverse cultures and histories of the region, contrasting them with Western narratives in Venice. Highlights include a film directed by Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda, featuring the acclaimed performance artist Marina Abramovic and Thai dance artist and choreographer Pichet Klunchun; films such as Calling for Rain by Khvay Samnang; Hunting & Dancing: 15 years by Moe Satt; There’s no Place by Jakkai Siributr; The Sea is a Blue Memory by Priyageetha Dia and many more works across a range of mediums.
The Spirits of Maritime Crossing is a journey from Southeast Asia to Venice through cultural and diasporic experiences — viewed through the eyes of those away from their homeland, both physically and spiritually. Southeast Asian artists share many similarities, while also differing in terms of their ethnicities, religions, and languages, which can sometimes create a sense of foreignness among them. The legacy of these nations is evident in the so-called ‘cultural hybrids’ — refugees, immigrants, and stateless people.
About The Exhibition
Set in a historic Venetian palazzo located in the Cannaregio district overlooking the grand canal, The Spirits of Maritime Crossing reflects on topical conversations from the Global South, from the effects of colonialism and wars on communities across Southeast Asia, through spirituality and indigenous presence in the region, to the importance of nature. The presentation builds upon the region’s local voices and narratives, its history as a significant meeting point of cultures and trade and draws from its geographical relationship with the bodies of water that surround it.
Western Influences and colonial histories
Works on view will include a new film titled ‘The Spirits of Maritime Crossing’, directed by curator Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda featuring Marina Abramovic, marking her acting debut alongside contemporary Thai dance artist Pichet Klunchun, that explores spirituality and relationships between West and East. Abramovic assumes the role of a wandering spirit that travels from Venice to Bangkok, through unfamiliar lands, in search of peace and fulfillment. During the journey, the spirit encounters priests, talismans and a character named Monkey King, played by Klunchun, who assists the spirit’s navigation. The work draws parallels between Venice and Bangkok, with the latter being widely known as “Venice of the East” dating back to centuries past and referencing the city’s intricate and extensive network of canals.
The exhibition also features paintings and a bronze sculpture by Natee Utarit, who infuses his works with Buddhist philosophy and Western art history, conveying absurdities of East-West encounters. Alongside are metal sculptures by Bounpaul Phothyzan whose large metal sculptures, crafted using found bombshells that have been carved into, explore the historical impact of American occupation in Southeast Asia and the enduring wounds inflicted upon its people by American soldiers, documenting the region’s tumultuous past. A collaborative two-channel video installation by Chitti Kasemkitvatana and Nakrob Moonmanas is a dreamlike montage reflecting the parallel worlds of Italy and Siam and highlighting their multitude of languages and cultures.
Jompet Kuswidananto’s installation of shattered chandeliers examines the painful history of colonization, with a focus on missionary work across Indonesia, using shards of glass to symbolize broken vessels and shattered dreams. Alwin Reamillo’s mixed media, multi-faceted work utilizes found objects and assemblages to reveal layers of colonialism and Christian iconography in the Philippines and its influence on migration and globalization. The artist’s work presents the 14 Stations of the Cross, a Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ’s last day on Earth as a man.
Land, Ancestry and Spirituality
Many of these works portray indigenous histories and voices, while commenting on the environmental impact of colonialism. Khvay Samnang’s video work examines hegemony and deforestation in Cambodia in a story of local worship inspired by Ramayana, an ancient poem. Yee I-Lann’s film depicts a collaboration with weavers and local sea-based communities to revive ancestral knowledge and celebrate maritime and indigenous histories in Malaysia. Jakkai Siributr uses textiles to provide commentary on ethnic cleansing in the region, through intricate embroideries created together with asylum seekers. Performance artist Moe Satt uses his body as a space of identity and estrangement to suggest survival of sectarian violence in his homeland of Myanmar. Priyageetha Dia’s video of the deep sea examines ancestral migratory movements from India to the Malay Peninsula. Kawita Vatanajyankur creates a performance with foamy blue dye to highlight female labor in the patriarchal society and the role of water in the context of femininity and the textile industry. Finally, Truong Cong Tung shows an installation of gourds that draw upon mystical ritual and indigenous mythologies.
Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Bangkok Art Biennale, and curator of The Spirits of Maritime Crossing exhibition, comments:
We are delighted to present a survey of Southeast Asian artists to international audiences in the Global North to coincide with the Biennale Arte, ahead of Bangkok’s own biennale in October 2024. Moreover, it is a great honor that a new short film featuring world-renowned Marina Abramovi?, winner of the Golden Lion at Venice Biennale in 1997, will be shown within the exhibition. The contents of this film and exhibition that focuses on sea travel, displacement and diaspora relate directly with the main Exhibition. It is fascinating to see such synergy across Venice.
The Spirits of Maritime Crossing, 20th April to 24th November 2024, Palazzo Smith Mangilli Valmarana
The exhibition is co-hosted by One Bangkok and is on view at Palazzo Smith Mangilli Valmarana, Venice, which has not been accessible to the public for 11 years.
About
Curator: Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Bangkok Art Biennale, is the curator of The Spirits of Maritime Crossing, a Collateral Event of the 60th International Art Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia. Poshyananda has curated and directed international art exhibitions across Asia, Europe, USA, and Oceania including Traditions/Tensions, New York; Thai and Australian sections, Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art; Asian section, São Paulo Biennial; Thai section, Istanbul Biennial; Commissioner, Thai Pavilion, the 50th, 51st, and 52nd, International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia; and Tout à Fait Thai, Paris.
Artists: The Spirits of Maritime Crossing presents a diverse group of artists from Asia, ranging from established figures to emerging talents. The 15 artists include: Marina Abramovic (b.1946, Serbia/USA) and Pichet Klunchun (b.1971, Thailand), Priyageetha Dia (b.1992, Singapore), Chitti Kasemkitvatana (b.1969, Thailand) and Nakrob Moonmanas (b.1990, Thailand), Khvay Samnang (b.1982, Cambodia), Jompet Kuswidananto (b.1976, Indonesia), Bounpaul Phothyzan (b. 1979, Laos PDR), Alwin Reamillo (1964-2023, The Philippines), Moe Satt (b.1983, Myanmar), Jakkai Siributr (b.1969, Thailand), Truong Cong Tung (b.1986, Vietnam), Natee Utarit (b.1970, Thailand), Kawita Vatanajyankur (b.1987, Thailand), and Yee I-Lann (b.1971, Malaysia).
Venue: Palazzo Smith Mangilli Valmarana was once the home of British Consul Joseph Smith, who was a passionate art collector. He was an agent of Canaletto and patron of Venetian painters. Smith and his wife, soprano singer Catherine Tofts turned the palazzo into a bustling social and artistic hub for art collectors, patrons, scholars, aficionados, artists, actors, musicians, philosophers, diplomats, and dignitaries. Among the visitors were Pietro Longhi, Giovanni Baptista Piazzetta, Giuseppe Zais, Carlo Goldoni, Rosalba Carriera. Count Giuseppe Mangilli who later became owner commissioned Giannantonio Selva to direct the decoration of the interiors in neoclassical style with subjects related to virtue, amour, and sacrifice. The palazzo is still perfectly preserved and will open to the public after 11 years with the launch of The Spirits of Maritime Crossing.
The Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation (BAB), set in the capital city of Thailand, was founded in 2017 with the mission to transform the bustling city of Bangkok into Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary art destination. Taking over public spaces around the city including temples and heritage sites over the course of four months, the biennale highlights the city’s charm by bridging Rattanakosin cultural heritage with Bangkok urbanism. As a freely accessible platform, the past three biennales attracted over three and a half million visitors. More than 300 artists from Asia, Europe, America, Oceania and Africa participated. During the pandemic, the biennale also launched BAB Virtual Venue, an online platform which has garnered over 2.3 million viewers from around the world each year. The theme of each biennale, Beyond Bliss, Escape Routes, CHAOS : CALM, evolved around the events of the world, and calls attention to relevant socio-political and environmental issues on a global scale, and seeks to question through art, what it means to be contemporary.
The Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation aims to foster cross-cultural exchange between artists and creative practitioners from around the world. Its diverse programming creates more opportunities for artists, especially from the Global South, to hone their practices, exhibit and produce new works, thus gaining more exposure in the international art scene. As a platform, Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation and BAB Academy support scholarly and open discussions in contemporary art and issues beyond, and focuses on making art education inclusive and accessible, not only to the art aficionados and art tourists, but to younger local audiences in Thailand, and the public at large. Acting as a bridge between the art sector and other disciplines and forming alliances with both the public and private sectors including government organizations, embassies, cultural institutions, schools, and various businesses, the Foundation’s mission is also to support the development of the art ecosystem and the infrastructure of the art industry in Southeast Asia.
The Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation was founded by Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (ThaiBev) with the support of public and private sectors.bkkartbiennale.com
