Description
In 1999 the touring exhibition ‘Cities on the Move’ arrived in Bangkok for its sixth iteration. ‘Cities on the Move’ (1997–2000), co-curated by Hou Hanru and Hans Ulrich Obrist, set out to explore the intersection of East and Southeast Asia’s city cultures and urbanization, involving more than 150 architects, artists, film-makers and designers in an attempt to recreate an ever-evolving city that occupied the white cube of different exhibition spaces in Vienna, New York, Bordeaux, Humlebæk, London and Helsinki.
Bangkok was the only edition to take place in Asia, and the only one to take place without a single major institution; instead, it saw works scattered in different sites and spaces across the city. More than twenty years later, we may reflect on the ‘global village’ optimism of the 1990s and the more ambivalent and shifting circumstances of geopolitics that surround it. We may ask what it was that ‘Cities’ encountered when it arrived in Bangkok, how it was changed by the city, how it was experienced and what might this tell us today? We want to learn if there are insights to reconsider our position now – perhaps for our future moves.
Co-organised by Afterall Exhibition Histories; School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong; Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London; Zurich University of the Arts.
This symposium is presented by Shared Campus as the keynote event of the summer school co-organised by School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong and Zurich University of the Arts.
The working committee includes William Davis, Gridthiya Gaweewong, Leung Chi Wo, and David Morris.
DAY 1
Date
20 July 2022
Time
12–2pm (London) / 1–3pm (Zurich) / 6–8pm (Bangkok) / 7–9pm (Hong Kong)
Access Link
Speakers
Nikita Choi, Hou Hanru, Ole Scheeren, John Tain, Kanokwan Trakulyingcharoen, Mia Yu, moderated by David Morris and Wing Chan
DAY 2
Date
21 July 2022
Time
12–2pm (London) / 1–3pm (Zurich) / 6–8pm (Bangkok) / 7–9pm (Hong Kong)
Acess
Onsite attendance at Jim Thompson Art Center, Bangkok
Speakers
Kornkrit Jianpinidnan, Chitti Kasemkitvattana, Manuporn Luengaram, Navin Rawanchaikul, Katha Sangkhae, moderated by Gridthiya Gaweewong
Description
The session on the second day of the symposium is a gathering of artists, curators and organisers of the Cities on the Moves, Bangkok edition. They were the movers and shakers of the Bangkok art scene at the turn of the century. These artists and curators will recollect and refresh their memories and relationships with this mega public art project that connected the local art organisations and communities, even for a short period. But it left an important mark on their artistic careers and professionals. The talk hopes to unravel how this project eventually reshaped how the Bangkok art scene became known as one of the most ‘international’ scenes in the region.
About the Speakers
Chitti Kasemkitvattana was a participating artist in Cities on the Move. During his Paris residency, he worked closely with Hans-Ulrich Obrist and Hou Hanru for the first edition in Vienna in 1997.
Manuporn Luengaram is a project coordinator at About Cafe, Bangkok. She served as the communication and press officer and worked closely with Ole Sheeren, a co-curator of the Bangkok edition.
Navin Rawanchaikul is an artist from Chiangmai who collaborated with Rirkrit Tiravanjia in every edition of Cities on the Move. The artists transported the TUK TUK from Bangkok, modified and let them run in the cities. Currently, Rawanchaikul lives and works in Chiangmai, Thailand.
Kata Sangkhae is an artist who participated in Cities on the Move, Bangkok. Nominated by Chitti Kasemkitvattana, Kata Sangkhae did his performance, Red Man Swimming, by wearing a red swimming suit, which he created as wearable objects and jumping into the Chao Phraya River, showing the struggle of city transportation. Sangkhae lives and works in Bangkok.
Kornkrit Jianpinidnan is an artist and photographer who worked with the fashion magazines and alternative music industry. He organised the fashion show of young designers and DJ set on the closing night at the National Gallery, Bangkok.
Gridthiya Gaweewong is a co-founder of Project 304, one of the venues that hosted Cities on the Move, Bangkok. Gaweewong lives and works as an Artistic Director of Jim Thompson Art Center, Bangkok.
