MA Thesis - THE ROLE OF ART EDUCATION IN BANGKOK AND ITS RELEVANCE ON TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY THAI ART PRACTICES

Loredana Pazzini - Paracciani

This is a study on twenty-first century Thai art education and the role it plays on the contemporary art scene. Scholarly focus on contemporary Thai art, in English, is relatively recent and mostly conducted within a regional framework whereby Thai art is approached as part of the wider Southeast Asia. This thesis extends the study of Thai art towards local investigation, that is, to focus on the education background of young and emerging Thai artists in order to examine two critical links: first, the link between art education and emerging art practitioners; second, the link between contemporary art practice and common themes and methodologies fostered among young artists.

THE ROLE OF ART EDUCATION IN BANGKOK AND ITS RELEVANCE ON TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY THAI ART PRACTICES by Loredana Pazzini-Paracciani A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Art History at LASALLE College of the Arts 2011 THE ROLE OF ART EDUCATION IN BANGKOK AND ITS RELEVANCE ON TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY THAI ART PRACTICES by Loredana Pazzini-Paracciani A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Art History at LASALLE College of the Arts 2011 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor Low Sze Wee who has shown support, guidance and professional assistance all the way through this academic endeavour. His advice and supervision have truly helped me acquire a wider understanding not only of the topic of this thesis but also of academic research. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my external advisor Iola Lenzi, who has supported me and pushed me to always do better and more rigorously. She has been at my side since the beginning of this Master’s course, providing insightful comments on the topic of this thesis as well as personal guidance throughout. I have learnt a great deal from her professional and academic approach to Asian Art History. Special appreciation goes to artists Chusak Srikwan, Anupong Chanton, Wit Pimkanchanapong, Montri Toemsombat, Yuree Kensaku and Porntaweesak Rimaskul, to Professors Jakapan Vilasineekul, Nipan Oranniwesna and Kamol Phaosavasdi and to Silpakorn University Dean Prof. Parinya Tantisuk, Chulalongkorn University Dean Prof. Suppakorn Disatapundhu and Bangkok University Dean Prof. Sansern Milandesuta, who have withstood my endless questions in the lengthy and productive interviews. Without their valuable information this study would have not been possible. I would also like to acknowledge and thank all the artists, art critics, curators and art historians in Singapore and Bangkok who have kindly and sincerely given me their time and shared their views on Contemporary iii Thai art. Their critical insight and friendly support has encouraged this endeavour throughout and has helped me grow fonder of this subject. Ultimately I would like to express my deepest thanks to my family, who has no doubt encouraged me in every possible way not to give up and pursue this project. To them I owe the success of my most rewarding academic achievement. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLES xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xv 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Objective 2 1.3 Research Questions 4 1.4 Definition of Key Terms 5 1.5 Significance and Limitations 7 Significance 7 Limitations 8 1.6 Methodology 10 Selection of Universities 10 Selection of Artists 13 Additional Background Information 17 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction Outline of the Chapter 18 18 19 v 2.2 Mapping the Field 20 Historical Context Behind the Founding of the Fine Arts Faculty at Each University: The 30s, 80s and 90s 20 Educational Approaches of the Three Selected Universities 25 Visual Themes and Methodologies of Twenty-First Century Thai Art 2.3 Conclusion 31 35 3. COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF THE FINE ARTS CURRICULUM IN THREE LEADING UNIVERSITIES 38 3.1 Introduction 38 3.2 Case Studies 39 Silpakorn University 39 Chulalongkorn University 48 Bangkok University 57 3.3 Preliminary Conclusions 65 Education Approach 67 Professors and Students 69 vi 4. COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF THE ART EDUCATION BACKGROUNDS OF THE SIX SELECTED ARTISTS 72 4.1 Introduction 72 4.2 Artists’ Case Studies 74 Chusak Srikwan 74 Anupong Chanton 78 Wit Pimkanchanapong 81 Montri Toemsombat 85 Yuree Kensaku 88 Porntaweesak Rimsakul 91 4.3 Common Themes and Methodologies: Preliminary Conclusions 93 5. CONCLUSION: RELEVANCE OF ART EDUCATION ON TWENTYFIRST CENTURY THAI ART PRACTICES 109 5.1 Links Between Art Education and Art Practices 110 Silpakorn University 110 Chulalongkorn University 112 Bangkok University 114 5.2 Future Research 116 vii APPENDIX 119 Thesis Time Frame 119 List of Informants 119 Interview Details 121 Interview Questionnaire (Deans, Professors and Artists) 122 Interview Transcripts 125 Artists’ Biographies 126 Universities’ Missions and Translated Art Curricula 147 BIBLIOGRAPHY 167 viii ABSTRACT This is a study on twenty-first century Thai art education and the role it plays on the contemporary art scene. Scholarly focus on contemporary Thai art, in English, is relatively recent and mostly conducted within a regional framework whereby Thai art is approached as part of the wider Southeast Asia. This thesis extends the study of Thai art towards local investigation, that is, to focus on the education background of young and emerging Thai artists in order to examine two critical links: first, the link between art education and emerging art practitioners; second, the link between contemporary art practice and common themes and methodologies fostered among young artists. In Modern Art in Thailand, published in 1992, Professor Apinan Poshyananda starts the discourse on Thai art education, arguing that Thai art schools are based on the idea of art as cultural expression hence intimately related to the evolving historical circumstances. Indeed, formal education in its earliest stage in Thailand was conducted mainly in temples and centred on the reinforcement of cultural ideology. It was in the eighteenth century with King Chulalongkorn that education was transformed into a Western concept, thus initiating a discourse on modern pedagogy. Professor John Clark, too, investigates the Thai school system (primarily at secondary level) quite extensively in Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999. Yet his text ends in 1999 leaving uncovered the turn of the century and the first decade of twenty- ix first century. Overall, the literature pertaining to current Thai art education and its relevance on the younger artists is not substantial. It needs to be framed further by academic research developed to evaluate strengths and discrepancies within Thai art educational institutions at tertiary level and their legacy on the emerging population of artists. This study focuses on three leading universities in Bangkok and their current pedagogy. By investigating their educational approach, the researcher traces some possible connections with the art practice of emerging artists. Furthermore, some common themes and methodologies, fostered by young art practitioners, are highlighted towards the end of this study to conclusively trace a line between art background and artwork. The research conducted for this study is primarily investigative. The data sources include primary material collected trough interviews with academic members in the three selected universities, and young artists graduated from the same institutions. The case study material is framed within the scholarly support provided by literature related to this topic, including universities’ collateral publications and exhibition catalogues, and by the broader informed population actively operating in the Thai contemporary art scene. x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLES Figure 4.1 Chusak Srikwan, Free Form Avaricious is a Precious Blessing, 2009, leather carving, dimensions variable, courtesy of the artist Figure 4.2 Anupong Chanton, Moral Boundary, 2009, pen on paper, 98 × 68 cm, courtesy of Ardel Gallery, Bangkok Figure 4.3 Wit Pimkanchanapong, Not Quite A Total Eclipse, 2009, mixed media installation, dimension variable, courtesy of the Singapore Art Museum Figure 4.4 Montri Toemsombat, Thai Freedom, 2008, C-print, 100 × 130 cm, courtesy of 100 Tonson Gallery Figure 4.5 Yuree Kensaku, Whirpool, 2010, acrylic and collage on canvas, 181 × 130 cm, courtesy of 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok Figure 4.6 Pornataweesak Rimasakul, Dinosaurs, 2009, teapots and mechanical wheels, dimensions variable, courtesy of 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok xi Figure 4.7 Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Thai Medley, 2002, video still. Collection Singapore Art Museum Figure 4.8 Sutee Kunavichayanont, History Class, 2000, desks installations, dimension variable, Singapore Art Museum collection Figure 4.9 A depiction of a white elephant in 19th century Thai art, artist unknown Figure 4.10 Vasan Sitthiket, War against capitalism, 2002, Mixed media, 200 × 230 cm, courtesy of the artist Figure 4.11 Chusak Srikwan, Shadow-Play, 2008, leather carving, dimensions variable, courtesy of the artist Figure 4.12 Anupong Chanton, Animal-man Family, Bronze, dimensions variable, 2010, courtesy of Ardel Gallery, Bangkok Figure 4.13 Montri Toemsombat, Reverie and Phantasm in the Epoch of Global Trauma, 2003, performance, 50th Venice Biennale, Italy xii Figure 4.14 Pinaree Sanpitak, Noon-Nom, 2002, Thai silk cushion installation, dimensions variable, Singapore Art Museum collection Figure 4.15 Wit Pimkanchanapong, Hide and Seek—Soi Project, 2009, Yokohama International Triennale of Contemporary Art, Courtesy of the artist Figure 4.16 Porntaweesak Rimasakul, RGB’s War, 2006, remote-controlled soldiers’ helmets on painted wooden board, colours, dimensions variable, courtesy of 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok Figure 4.17 Yuree Kesnaku, Complicated Mountain, 2011, acrylic and collage on canvas, 132 × 176 cm, courtesy of 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok Figure 4.18 Montri Toemsombat, Fake Me, 2002, barbed wire, life-size costume, video installation, dimensions variable. Table 3.1 Universities’ Academic Structure Table 3.2 SU Visual Art programme Table 3.3 CU Visual Art programme Table 3.4 BU Visual Art programme xiii Table 3.5 Visual Art programmes—the three universities combined Table 4.1 Artists’ education background xiv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Silpakorn University (SU) Chulalongkorn University (CU) Bangkok University (BU) Bangkok University Gallery (BUG) Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Design (PSG) Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre (BACC) Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (OCAC) Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC) Quality Assurance (QA) xv 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background The thought process that led to this research was triggered by close observation of the diverse and, at times, contrasting art practice in contemporary Thailand. Over the last decade, young and promising art practitioners seem to have developed a variety of visual interests and methodologies through which they express their artistic inclinations. New media (digital and computer-based artworks), for example, is used alongside traditional mediums such as leather carving, a comparatively vernacular practice. Figurative paintings are produced at the same time as technically sophisticated installations that combine aesthetic pleasure with community values. The question of what the driving forces are and how they are shaping the visual language of twenty-first century Thai art has arisen several times in the course of the preliminary research that eventually led to this paper. There are many potential views on how to best pose and answer this question. To narrow the field, this research has adopted a pragmatic framework to investigate the role of art education as a possible driving force and its influence on the younger generation of artists. Hence, this study unfolds with the examination of the current development of art education in Thai institutions. Extensive interviews conducted with the deans and professors in selected universities have given momentum and encouragement to the continuation of this research. By unveiling the intricate structure of these academic institutions and attempting to 1 understand their mission, the researcher was able to address some of the areas left untouched by previous studies. These preliminary findings have a bearing on the second part of the research: a close analysis of twentyfirst century Thai art practice. In-depth interviews were conducted with selected artists with the intention to learn more about their art education and to disclose cultural and educational connections still unexplored. 1.2 Objective In an article published in 1993 Prof Apinan Poshyananda said, “national identity formation is disseminated throughout institutions including … universities ... Visual arts have been manipulated as the vehicle to promote a reassuring and serene world of … Thai-ness …”1 Moreover, Prof Poshyananda comments on the dominant role of the government and art education in Thailand by elaborating on the way “young artists have been groomed since their high school days to regard art awards as the ultimate achievement”.2 Prof Poshyananda seems to suggest that art schools and art education have performed a critical role in forming national identity, as well as promoting social and cultural values among Thai artists. It is important to note that his views on art education were expressed in the 1990s. Almost 20 years have passed; do these views still apply to contemporary Thai art education? 1 Apinan Poshyananda, “The Future: Post-Cold War, Postmodernism, Postmarginalia (Playing with Slippery Lubricants)”, in Tradition and Change (Australia: University of Queensland Press, 1993), 13. 2 Apinan Poshyananda, “Taste, Value and Commodity”, in Modern Art in Thailand (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992), 173–174. 2 A limited amount of literature, in English, is available on this topic.3 So far, the academic studies of Prof Apinan and Prof John Clark’s recent book Asian Modernities are the only texts partially debating the role of art education vis-à-vis the art production of the younger generation. 4 To actualise the information available in this field, the researcher has conducted this study to evaluate the relevance of art education of three major universities in Bangkok to twenty-first century art practice. What are the common aspects or discrepancies, if any, in the curricula of these universities? To what extent are the art graduates influenced by the art system of each university? Do these artists share common themes or methodologies in their art practice? In order to answer these questions and more that have developed during the research, this paper is divided into two main sections. The first section is a comparative examination of the fine arts curricula at three leading universities in Bangkok: Silpakorn University (SU), Chulalongkorn University (CU), and Bangkok University (BU). The aim is to evaluate the similarities and differences in the universities’ educational approach and key characteristics in their curricula. As part of this comparative undertaking, the researcher has covered other variables in order to determine the existence of similarities and/or differences among the selected art institutions. These variables include the historical circumstances that led to the founding of each institution, social changes 3 According to the research done for this study at the LASALLE Library, Singapore; the National Library, Singapore; Chulalongkorn University library, Bangkok, Thailand. To note the latter is the only library in Bangkok that carries some English publications. 4 John Clark, Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999 (Sydney: Power Publications, 2010). A note for consideration is that this book concludes its research in the year 1999. 3 that might have occurred during the different historical periods and the founders’ and/or deans’ personalities, among others. The research findings, including interviews with professors and deans, have led to the development of the second section of the paper: comparative examination of the selected artists’ background. As a close analysis of current art practices, the researcher has examined similarities and/or differences in the artists’ choice of themes and methodologies. Also, the research unveils links that could be drawn between those themes and methodologies and the art education background of the selected artists. Preliminary connections are highlighted and discussed at the end of the study; the researcher has also investigated other possible factors that influence the artists’ choices of themes and methodologies, thus contributing to new starting points for future research in the field. 1.3 Research Questions How does the art education offered by the selected universities relate to some of the more common themes and methodologies among contemporary Thai artists? 1. What are the mission and pedagogy propounded by these art institutions and how do they compare with one another? 2. What are the key strengths and discrepancies in each fine arts curriculum? 4 3. What impact does each curriculum have on the future practice of the respective university’s graduates? 4. What are the more common themes and methodologies in the practice of twenty-first century Thai artists? 5. How are the artists’ art education backgrounds linked to certain visual themes and methodologies? 6. What are other possible explanations for these visual themes and methodologies? 1.4 Definition of Key Terms Art education Art education is understood as the “education concerned with one or more of the fine or applied arts, including studies and creative experiences”.5 In the context of this research paper, the term ‘art education’—with reference to art curriculum and academic members— refers to the education provided at tertiary-level, public and private institutions. A note to consider is art education in Thailand starts at the primary school level; students follow eight core subjects each semester, including art. At the secondary school level, at approximately age 16, students choose one or two elective courses, including visual arts. In senior high school, students are divided into either vocational or general education, allowing them to choose visual arts as their major. Art 5 http://www.education.com, accessed February 3, 2011. 5 education at institutions of higher learning, including colleges and/or universities6, is carried out through a comprehensive curriculum to ensure that the pedagogical programme is aligned with national requirements. Art institution Art institutions are commonly referred to as educational establishments whose mission is the academic education in the arts. Although in the broad sense of the word, art institutions also include museums, galleries, and private or public art organisations. In the context of this paper the term is used to indicate institutions of higher learning, such as colleges and/or universities, which encompass a fine arts faculty within their academic structure. Contemporary art scene In an article written in 1993, Prof Poshyananda discussed the shift from modern to contemporary themes in Thai art by mentioning, “… recently … several Thai artists have broken the stranglehold of market forces and their works have drawn attention of curators and directors abroad”.7 During the political, economic and cultural changes that took place in Thailand in the 1970s and 80s, controversial subjects such as class discrimination, political upheavals, prostitution and violence were 6 Over 100 universities and other institutions of higher learning exist in Thailand today, of which 30 are located in Bangkok. These institutions are classified as Public Universities, Rajabhat Universities (41 public institutions aimed at providing higher education to regional provinces), Rajamanghala University of Technology (nine public institutions formerly known as a polytechnic institute system) and Private Universities. 7 Apinan Poshynanda, “Behind Thai Smiles: Three Contemporary Thai Artists”, in Art and Asia Pacific, quarterly journal, 1993. In this text Apinan comments on the works of Thai artists Vasan Sitthiket, Kamol Phaosavasdi and Kamin Lertchaiprasert. 6 deemed unacceptable by the public and hence avoided by most galleries. Only in the late 80s and early 90s, the function of art started to morph from commodity to social expression, marking a shift towards contemporary artmaking.8 With reference to Prof Poshyananda’s article, Thai contemporary art scene is defined, in the context of this research, as the art practice that has developed in Thailand in the last 20 years (i.e. 1990s onwards). Visual themes and methodologies The term ‘visual themes’ in this paper refers to trends and topics that are represented or conveyed, not necessarily in a realistic manner, in the work of the art practitioners. The term ‘methodology’ or ‘methodologies’, in the context of this study, refers to the methods or mediums artists work with in order to produce their artwork. Some methodologies include the use of mixed media, video and photography, integrating the work in public spaces, and the use of traditional mediums (folk art and craft, such as textile, fabric, wood and leather carving) to relate to contemporary society. 1.5 Significance and Limitations Significance The significance of this paper is to determine the impact of Thai art education on contemporary Thai artists’ practice. This paper provides a 8 Few artists such as Chalood Nimsamer had started to use a contemporary language in the early 80s. See Iola Lenzi Negotiating Home, History and Nation in exhibition catalogue Negotiating Home, History and Nation (Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, 2011). 7 preliminary study, so far not available in English, comparing the art education systems of three selected Thai art institutions in Bangkok— Silpakorn University, Chulalongkorn University and Bangkok University. The data collected during interviews with the deans and professors at respective universities contribute to a discourse on art education in Thailand, one that can be accessed by non-Thai speaking audience, thus providing a precedent for further research in this area. This study also attempts to determine common visual themes and methodologies, if any, specific to twenty-first century Thai artists. By conducting several in-depth interviews with artists selected for this study, the researcher attempts to identify possible connections between themes and methodologies in their work and the art education they received from the aforementioned universities. Limitations One of the limitations is geography: the researcher is not based in Thailand, hence primary research was restricted to the Bangkok area where the universities and artists analysed in this research are selected. However, it is important to underline that Bangkok represents the most vibrant art scene in Thailand today both in terms of art education and art practice. By focusing only on three leading universities, this research has consciously left out other art colleges, polytechnics and institutions in Bangkok. The researcher is aware that by doing so, only a partial view on the Thai education system is provided. However, the universities selected 8 have proven to be among the most representative by the Fine Arts Department.9 To allow a thorough and manageable cross evaluation of the art production of Thai contemporary artists and former alumni of the aforementioned universities, this comparative analysis focuses on two artists per university.10 Thus, the views of these six artists may not be transferable to a wider population. For the purpose of this study, young artists are defined as art practitioners who have achieved their Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the year 2000 onwards.11 This study focuses on the influence of formal art education i.e. the education conducted in institutions of higher learning such as colleges and universities, which is tangible and accessible to investigation. However, other factors that might affect the artists’ trends and visual expression, such as the influence of mentors, residencies abroad, books, selfeducation etc, are acknowledged by the researcher in the course of this study to lay a foundation for future research in this field. Language does not represent a significant limitation in the oral information imparted as the researcher speaks Thai (English still being the preferred medium to conduct interviews). However, translations have been made in the written material, which might partially affect the meaning from some sources. 9 According to the first university ranking released by the Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC) in September 2006. For more information refer to the ‘Methodology’ section. 10 Refer to the ‘Methodology’ section for a detailed account of the criteria for selection. 11 Refer to the ‘Methodology’ section for greater explanation on this topic. 9 1.6 Methodology Considering the breath of the topic researched, a number of criteria have been applied to define its perimeters. Also, to achieve a satisfactory depth of investigation, primary sources, such as interviews, artists statements, mission statements, catalogue essays and collaterals provided by the universities, have been adopted in a case study approach. Compared to a survey-based study, the case study methodology allows a greater depth of investigation by focusing on a restricted number of universities and artists, proving to be the most beneficial method in uncovering new perspectives of the contemporary art scene in Thailand. The following section provides a detailed account of the rationale behind the case study selection of the universities and artists. Selection of Universities Adopting a case study methodology dictates great care in the selection of the universities to be examined. The three criteria for the selection of the universities are listed below: 1. Geographical consideration Given the geographical limitations, an in-depth research of the fine arts curriculum is conducted only in the Bangkok area. 10 2. Public and private education sectors There are more than 30 public universities in the Bangkok area and an equal number of private universities and institutions. In order to provide a comprehensive overall view of the art education system, the universities selected are to be representative of both the public and private sectors. 3. Recognition of status in public-ranking surveys The first public ranking conducted by OHEC was released in September 2006. 12 According to the ranking, Chulalongkorn University was one of the top two universities in the research and teaching areas. Silpakorn University emerged as the top university in the areas of humanities and decorative arts. Three institutions met all three criteria: 1. Silpakorn University It was the first art school founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Italian artist Corrado Feroci and was subsequently granted University status. Today the university consists of 13 faculties and is located in two campuses, of which Wang Tha Phra, the old campus (central Bangkok), hosts the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Design (PSG). Silpakorn University is a public institution. 12 http://www.bangkokpost.com/education/site2006, accessed February 14, 2011. The first university ranking was released by OHEC in September 2006. However, a more recent survey was released in 2009 by the Office for National Education Standards and Quality As sess ment (ONESQA). 11 2. Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University is the oldest public university in Thailand, founded by King Rama V in 1899 as the school for civil officials and subsequently named Chulalongkorn by King Rama VI. It consists of 20 faculties. Chulalongkorn University is located in central Bangkok. 3. Bangkok University13 Bangkok University is the oldest and largest private university founded in 1962 by Mr Surat Osathanugrah. It consists of 20 schools and colleges and is located in two campuses, Klong Toey and Rangsit, both in Bangkok. Interview process. The data-gathering phase starts with interviewing the academic staff of the fine arts faculty at each of these universities. The deans of the universities have been interviewed with the support of an open-ended questionnaire developed by the researcher to investigate the structure of the faculty, its mission and pedagogy. Professors at each of the faculties have also been interviewed according to an open-ended questionnaire designed by the researcher to gather information on the key characteristics of each fine arts curriculum and its impact on the student population.14 13 Bangkok University is a private institution; hence. it was not included in the publicranking survey. However, according to the web ranking, Bangkok University ranks tenth in the list but ranks first within the private institutions. http://www.4icu.org/th/, accessed February 14, 2011. 14 See Appendix for the deans’ and professors’ questionnaire. 12 At the end of the interview process, the data obtained is carefully screened and compared. Tables are provided accordingly throughout the paper to highlight the similarities and differences of each faculty and the impact of their curriculum on the students. In addition to oral information obtained during the interviews, existing written material has been gathered, such as university bulletins, statements and other collaterals, to develop a preliminary overall view on each university’s education system and culture. Selection of Artists Adopting a case study methodology dictates great care also in the selection of the artists to be examined. The three selection criteria are outlined below: 1. The artists must belong to one of the universities selected for this study: For coherence, the artists selected are required to be former alumni of the fine arts faculty in one of the universities selected for this paper.15 2. The artists’ participation and recognition within the Thai art scene: 15 An exception to this criterion is artist Wit Pimkanchanapong who graduated from the Faculty of Architecture, CU, since no other artist, besides Montri Toemsombat, meets the other criteria. In addition, Wit Pimkanchanapong is now widely recognised as an accomplished artist. 13 Given the number of exhibitions regularly held in private and public spaces in Bangkok, to be selected an artist should have held a major exhibition. Several options are examined at this point. i. Graduation shows may be considered. However, this study investigates the practice of full-time artists. Hence, this option is discarded, as not all students featured at a graduation show would become fulltime art practitioners. ii. The National Art Exhibition16, held every year since its establishment in 1949, is also considered for selection of the artists. However, this event for its very nature—an initiative of Silpakorn University—is mainly geared towards and managed by Silpakorn academic staff and students. Considering this option would have jeopardised the fair accountability of the other two universities. iii. Comprising over 300 works by some 100 artists (including a few foreign names), the 2008 Traces of Siamese Smile: Art+Faith+Politics+Love show, held in conjunction with the opening of the Bangkok Art and Cultural Center (BACC), is considered the first 16 Apinan Poshyananda, Modern Art in Thailand (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), 53. This was a seminal event that to this day has a profound impact on the public perception of art. However, mainly art students and professors from Silpakorn University take part in the event. The latest National Art Exhibition was held at BACC in October 2010. 14 all-encompassing Thai art survey.17 Also known as the nationwide art event in Thailand 18 , the head curator for this exhibition was Prof Apinan Poshyananda, the most well-regarded Thai curator and at the time Director of the Contemporary Art and Culture Office (OCAC). Prof Poshyananda and a number of Milindasuta appointed of co-curators, Bangkok University, Sansern Sutee Kunavichayanont of Silpakorn University, Songwit Pimpakan of Khon Kaen University, artist Tawatchai Somkong and Chowatadapong Thai and curators Pakorn Somsak Klomkliang, collaborated on the gestation of this show with the intention to highlight the most significant trends of Thai contemporary art.19 3. Graduation date: As this study focuses on the current art curriculum, it is decided that the benchmark year of BFA graduation is 2000 onwards.20 Ten artists met at least two of the three criteria: Chusak Srikwan, Anupong Chanton, Krissada Dhussadeewanich, Vasan Ruewklang, Yuree 17 Brian Martens, Traces of Siamese Smile: Art + Faith_+ Politics + Love. Art Asia Pacific, Issue 63(2009). Martens add that no previous art exhibitions in Thailand had gathered so many significant works of modern and contemporary Thai art. 18 Phatarawadee Phataranawik, “Arts centre will open with a bang, but what then?”, accessed November 16, 2010, http://www.2Bangkok.com/museum.shtml. 19 Steven Pettifor, A Fresh Face for Thai Art. Asian Art News, vol.18, 6(2008). 20 To be noted that BU visual department started in 1995 hence the first batch of students graduated in the year 1999/2000. 15 Kensaku, Pornatweesak Rimsaku, Krit Ngamson, Issara Smuthkichorn, Wit Pimkanchanapong, and Montri Toesombat. Of the ten potential artists, four graduated from SU, four from BU and two from CU.21 In order to achieve an even and fair depth of investigation, two artists per university are selected. For artists who graduated from SU and BU, the selection at this stage is affected by their availability at the time of the interview. The following artists constitute the final selection: • Chusak Srikwan and Anupong Chanton from the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Design (PSG) at Silpakorn University, • Yuree Kensaku and Porntaweesak Rimsakul from the School of Fine and Applied Arts at Bangkok University, • Wit Pimkanchanapong from the Faculty of Architecture at Chulalongkorn University22, and • Montri Toemsombat from the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University. Interview process. The data-gathering phase is based partly on in situ interviews with the artists. An open-ended questionnaire developed by the researcher is used to gain insight to the main source(s) of influence in their art practice.23 The artists’ education background, motivations, concepts and practice were discussed during the interviews and in e-mail correspondences. To complement the information obtained through the 21 In the course of this study it will be investigated why so few artists graduating from CU were featured in this show. 22 Wit Pimkanchanapong was the only CU artist, besides Montri Toemsombat, to partly meet the criteria. 23 See Appendix for the artists’ questionnaire. 16 one-on-one interviews, catalogues, essays, artists’ statements, material generated by the artists, as well as commentaries published in English on the artists and their work have been consulted and analysed. At the end of this process, all data was compiled to create tables of comparison that will help achieve critical conclusions. Additional Background Information In addition to the case study methodology, information has been exchanged in an informal manner with a number of art experts and artists both in Thailand and Singapore. Knowledge was gathered from people who are familiar either with the universities, the artists’ works or the general stance of Thai contemporary art. While the methodology is not as stringent or organised as the rest of the research, input from these additional sources benefited the outcome of the study and served as background information on the topic, informed by the person’s profession or personal experiences.24 24 A list of people consulted in this phase can be found in Appendix. 17 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter critically evaluates some of the literature related to the research objective of this thesis: To determine how the art education offered by three leading universities in Bangkok—Silpakorn University (SU), Chulalongkorn University (CU) and Bangkok University (BU)— relate to some of the more common themes and methodologies of twenty-first century art practice in Thailand. In order to frame this objective in relation to existing literature in English, only some of the research questions highlighted in Chapter 1 are addressed in this chapter: • What is the historical background that led to the founding of the fine arts faculty in each institution? • What is the pedagogical context of each university? • Which are some of the common themes and methodologies in twenty-first century Thai art practice? • Are there other possible reasons (besides art education) for the emergence of those themes and methodologies? To compensate for the lack of literature in English related to the other research questions, that is: • Which are, at present day, the key strengths and similarities of the fine arts curricula of the aforementioned universities? • What impact do the curricula have on younger artists? The researcher has conducted in-depth interviews with deans, professors and artists. The findings of these interviews will be discussed in Chapters 3 and 4. Outline of the Chapter This chapter is sub-divided into three areas, each addressing one or more of the research questions mentioned above. These areas are: 1. Historical Context Behind the Founding of the Fine Arts Faculty at Each University: The 30s, 80s and 90s The first area will highlight the literature related to the historical circumstances that resulted in the founding of the fine arts faculty in each institution. Two texts are analysed: Modern Art in Thailand by Prof Apinan Poshyanada, with particular reference to the chapters closely related to this topic (Chapters 2, 7 and 8) and “Style and Institutions in Thailand” by Prof John Clark.1 2. Educational Approaches of the Three Selected Universities The second area investigates the educational context of the selected universities. Three texts are discussed: “Development of Contemporary Art in Thailand” by Prof Vichoke Mukdamanee is reviewed in relation to Silpakorn history and mission; the 1 Apinan Poshyananda, “Modern Thai Painting and Sculpture at Crossroads”, “Test, Value and Commodity”, “From Modern to (Post?) Modern Art in Thailand”, in Modern Art in Thailand. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992); John Clark, “Styles and Institutions in Thailand”, in Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999. (Sydney: Power Publications, 2010). 19 unpublished Chulalongkorn University MA thesis “The Shape of Problems and Issues” by Monvilai Rojananti; and “Art School Education in Thailand” by Prof John Clark.2 3. Visual Themes and Methodologies of Twenty-First Century Thai Art The third area discusses the visual trends and methodologies of twenty-first century Thai art. Two critical essays are reviewed: “Negotiating Home, History and Nation” by Iola Lenzi, and “Traces of Siamese Smile” by Apinan Poshyananda. While evaluating these essays, this area also explores other possible reasons for the emergence of such themes and methodologies.3 2.2 Mapping the Field Historical Context Behind the Founding of the Fine Arts Faculty at Each University: The 30s, 80s and 90s In Modern Art in Thailand Prof Poshyananda contextualises the 1930s and 40s in Thailand by discussing the institutionalisation of modern Thai art as a government tool in state building. In 1930 Thailand faced a 2 Vichoke Mukdamanee, “Development of Contemporary Art in Thailand”, Silpakorn University International Journal, 2, 1 (January–June, 2002); John Clark, “Art School Education in Thailand”, in Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999. (Sydney: Power Publications, 2010); Monvilai Rojananti, “The Shape of Problems and Issues. Art Spaces in Educational Institutions in Bangkok” (MA thesis, Cultural Management, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 2004). 3 Iola Lenzi, “Negotiating Home, History and Nation”, in Negotiating Home, History and Nation, ed. Lenzi (Singapore: Singapore Art Mus uem, 2011); Apinan Poshyananda, “Traces of Siamese Smile”, in Traces of Siamese Smile: Art + Faith + Politics + Love (Bangkok: BACC, 2008). 20 structural change: the absolute monarchy was overthrown and replaced by constitutionalism. The country was ready to embrace the modern, which was no longer confined to the royalty and the elite but to the people of Thailand at large. In 1924 the Fine Arts Department employed Corrado Feroci—out of 200 artists—and by 1933 he was assigned to draft the curriculum for the School of Fine Arts (Silpakorn), which on 12 October 1943 was formally granted the status of Silpakorn University.4 As Prof Poshyananda points out, Feroci and his assistants were expected “to serve the government and national interest”, while producing and teaching art. 5 It was in this perspective that Bhirasri founded the National Art Exhibition. The first exhibition was held at Silpakorn University between 11 February and 10 March 1949.6 In the 1980s, during the economic boom that followed the turbulent times of the 70s, art competitions started to flourish in shopping centres and hotels as well. A number of commercial galleries made their appearance in the Thai art scene, as well as non-profit institutions such as the National Art Gallery, which opened in 1977. These are the years that Prof Poshyananda identifies as the most productive in the efforts made by private and public institutions to promote Thai art. 4 At that time Feroci renamed himself Silpa Bhirasri and was nominated dean of the university. At the time of Feroci’s death in 1962, artist Chalood Nimsamer became dean. 5 Apinan mentions various examples of monuments produced during that time with this scope by Feroci and other artists, 46–47. 6 The National Art Exhibition is an event extremely well regarded in the art scene of present-day Thailand; however, mainly art students and professors from SU take part in the event. The latest National Art Exhibition was held at BACC in October 2010. 21 CU was one of these institutions. Since earlier days, CU approved a policy of collecting and promoting modern Thai art. A step forward in this policy was taken when in 1982 the university created the Faculty of Fine Arts to promote visual and graphic arts, design, dance and music. Modern Art in Thailand concludes at the beginning of the 1990s on a positive note, where Prof Poshyananda highlights how promising the art scene was with the international recognition of Thai artists. Modern Art in Thailand is to this day the most extensive and comprehensive book on Thai art. By informing the reader on the evolution of Thai modern art, and also acknowledging the value of art in pre-modern Siam, Prof Poshyananda opens a discourse, untouched before, on the role of the arts within the cultural and social dynamics of a country in a time of transformation. He successfully gives an objective, perhaps at times too descriptive, account of the historical facts of the 1930s and 80s but leaves virtually uncovered the 90s. Modern Art in Thailand was published in 1993. Prof Poshyananda leaves undocumented the role of BU in the contemporary Thai art scene, since its Faculty of Fine Arts was added to the curriculum only in 1995. The role of BU is addressed by Prof John Clark in “Style and Institutions in Thailand”, one of the most relevant chapters (for the purpose of this topic) in his recent book Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999. Clark departs from a close analysis of the historical discourses related to Thai modern art. He asserts that the evolution of Thai art cannot be seen independently from the major political and economic events that occurred in recent Thai history, such as the 22 military putsch of 1932 that overthrew the absolute monarchy (already discussed in the previous paragraph), the 1973–76 students’ movements and the middle class uprising in 1992. The students’ upheavals of the 70s took place almost simultaneously with the Thai economic development of the early 80s. Clark identifies this phenomenon as the “peasant development”, which, partially due to increasing trade and commerce, resulted in a progressive migration towards the cities. As the corporate sector was flourishing and the economy was booming, a number of artists started to travel abroad to continue their education.7 However, in Thailand the actual operation of the art educational system was, in those years, still based mainly on institutions and recognition via degrees and competitions. Patronage was part of the system. Clark highlights that the distinctive ideological element in Thai art education at secondary and tertiary levels still revolved around the civic codes of religion, country and monarchy thus preventing social discourses. Towards the mid to late 1990s there was a rise of alternative or privately funded art spaces where exhibitions were held and promoted separately from the competitive elite/patronage-dominated spaces often linked to or controlled by SU. Thai artists, at this time, were mostly connected by methodologies or common techniques rather than critical 7 Ibid, 122. Clark lists the artists that travelled abroad in this period: Sansern Milandesuta, Jakapan Vilaseenikul, and Somboon Hormenthong, among others. 23 frameworks, which are, to this date, difficult to find in Thailand (possibly as a result of the limited critical literature in Thai).8 In 1995 the School of Fine and Applied Arts was added to the curriculum of BU. Businessman, politician and artist Mr Surat Osathanugrah founded BU in 1962, which is now the oldest and largest private university in Bangkok. Clark’s book concludes in 1999 (six years after Poshyananda’s Modern Art in Thailand). The strength and uniqueness of this book is the wealth of primary research in art education, which is now made accessible to the non-Thai public. In addition, Clark’s interest in the Thai school system provides a new approach to the study of modern and contemporary art in Thailand. Preliminary conclusion. The two authors provide valuable information in contextualising the founding of the three universities in the 30s, 80s and 90s. Particularly relevant to this study is Poshyananda’s documentation of art education in the early SU by describing in great detail the dominant role that Italian sculptor Corrado Feroci played as the “Father of Modern Art”. Also relevant in the context of this research are Poshyananda’s insights to the early curriculum of SU. Mainly based on the Italian art academy, the layout of the first curriculum was, as he defines it, 8 Ibid, 130. Artists in the 90s were starting to develop a more conceptual understanding of art making but by and large the unifying element amongst artists would still be the technique or methodology they used for instance printmaking artists, oil artists etc. 24 an attempt to reconcile the conflicting current of traditionalism and western modernism.9 The critical consideration that Clark makes on the art practice of the 1980s reconnects with Prof Poshyananda’s interpretations of the first art system. By then, academic practice and foreign studies had provided, in Clark’s view, the absorption of international criteria in a manner similar to that Bhirasri provided years before. Clark’s reiterates that art education was, in the early 90s, still strongly based on ideological conformity that prevented social confrontation. In other words, there was a lack of critical exploration of taboo themes particular to Thai culture.10 It is predominantly at the turn of the twenty-first century that a critical framework started to take shape as a result of the increasing globalisation of art discourse. To complement the historical material provided in this section, the next area of the literature review will explore the educational context of the three universities, advancing the background information particular to each fine arts curriculum. Educational Approaches of the Three Selected Universities 9 Apinan Poshyananda , Modern Art in Thailand (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), 44.The curriculum was by no means clear- cut; if on one hand there was the vision of modern art out reaching towards the west , on the other there was the attempt to merge indigenous and foreign elements like “ merging multiple layers of styles”, the result being unpredictable. 10 John Clark, Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999 (Sydney: Power Publications, 2010), 124. Exceptions were Vasan Sitthiket and Sutee Kunavichayanot in later years. 25 “Development of Contemporary Art in Thailand” by Prof Vichoke Mukdamanee focuses on the development of Thai art primarily as it has been taught and carried out within the educational context of SU.11 The author highlights that the first programme offered in 1943 was only painting and sculpture. To accommodate the growing academic interest in SU, three faculties were subsequently added, namely Architecture, Archaeology and Decorative Arts.12 During Prof Bhirasri’s leadership as Dean (until his death in 1962) the art education programme carried a fundamental western bent, cultivating, among the students, realistic and figurative style both in painting and sculpture. In 1949 Prof Bhirasri initiated the National Art Exhibition with the purpose of “making contemporary art more accessible to the Thai public”. This was the first artistic platform to be established on national ground. 13 The following years saw the emergence of various “philosophies” of art-making. One such philosophy was “art for art’s sake” fostered by some of the artists in the 1970s, but rejected by others with a more political inclination, especially in the aftermath of the 1973–76 student putsches. 11 From the early days of its founding up to 2002 (year of publication of the essay) the development of art in Thailand is traced out by Mukdamanee as a product and “monopoly” of this institution. More on the monopoly of SU in Thai art education is discus sed in John Clark, “Art School Education in Thailand” in Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999 (Sydney: Power Publications, 2010). 12 Currently SU consists of 13 faculties located in two campuses. 13 Both Mukdamanee and Clark advance insights on the meaning of the national art competitions that bear consequences on today’s art practice and themes. 26 To counterbalance the societal changes of those years, Dean Chalood Nimsamer (who assumed the position after Prof Bhirasri) added, in 1977, Thai Art major to the undergraduate programme. 14 With the growing economy and the rising of a Thai middle class in the 1980s, a new, albeit limited, art market was emerging. Responding to the increasing interest in art, CU opened, in 1982, its fine arts faculty at the same time as Chiang Mai University and Khon Ken University (located in the Issan region). Sinakarinwirot University, in Bangkok, and BU added their fine arts faculties in 1993 and 1995, respectively. Although “Development of Contemporary Art in Thailand” provides only marginal information related to the pedagogy propounded by CU and BU, this essay provides, in English, a good but relatively outdated view of art education in SU. The information gathered thus far from this essay is complemented by the interviews conducted for this study with SU Dean Prof Parinya Tantisuk and Prof Jakapan Vilasineekul. “The Shape of Problems and Issues” by Monvilai Rojananti takes on a particular angle of education by investigating the functionality of the art spaces within the academic scope of the selected institutions. The need for universities to have an educational art space to show their works started with SU, where the National Art Exhibition was initiated in 1949. Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Art (PSG) Gallery is a line department institution 15 art gallery at SU. It was funded in 1988 to function as a 14 After the student crackdown on 1976, many artists rejected the doctrine of “art for art sake” jeopardizing the stability of Silpakorn mainstream philosophy of nation – building. 27 platform for the students’ works and for the annual staff exhibition on 15 September held in conjunction with the anniversary of the birth of Silpa Bhirasri. The annual students’ thesis exhibition is also held in this space, consolidating the curriculum of the faculty within the mission of the galleries. Jamjuree Art Gallery in CU is an arm length institution16 gallery with an allocated budget from the university’s funding. The gallery was established in 2001 to serve as a platform for students as well as national/international artists. However, with the opening of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) the annual students’ thesis exhibition is now held at its premises. Bangkok Art Gallery was established in 1996 (only one year after the School of Fine and Applied Arts) in BU. It is a non-profit, dependent art space. 17 It was founded by Mr Petch Ostanugrah and the executive members of the Visual Art department to function as a learning centre for the students, staff and members of the art community. Although “The Shape of Problems and Issues” does not tackle directly the pedagogy of each of these universities, it is an important reference for this research as it contains up-to-date material, carried out in loco (the MA is within the CU academic programme) by a Thai researcher (which facilitated her access to original material). The information provided 15 That is the art gallery that function as an art space for the promotion of the students’ artworks. Monvilai Rojanatanti, “The Shape of Problems and Issues. Art Spaces in Educational Institutions in Bangkok” (MA thesis, Cultural Management, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 2004, 11). 16 Ibid, 12. Institutions independent of partisan politics or corporate interest. 17 Ibid, 12. Institutions that still need the support of the governing body. 28 by this text complements certain areas of “Art School Education in Thailand” from Clark’s recent book Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999. In this chapter Clark talks in detail of the Thai art school system, emphasising that one of the main goals of SU has always been to “develop the teaching and research quality of the graduates”. This over the years has initiated a trend of “inbreeding” among the academic staff, which was to be counterbalanced, according to Clark’s investigation, by the founding of CU’s fine arts faculty, where an alternative approach to overseas qualification for the academic staff has been intended. However, in Clark’s view there is still no doubt of the predominance of SU in the tertiary sector “through the administrative control exercised by its many graduates in other tertiary art teaching institutions”.18 By the late 1990s in Bangkok, there were a number of institutions providing art certificates, but until 2001 SU was the only institution offering MFA. In addition, CU offers doctorate degrees, while at SU and BU they are still on the way. “Art School Education in Thailand” is, within the scope of this research, a relevant source of information for it provides an overview of the Thai art system from secondary to tertiary level. However, while advancing comparisons between art institutions in Thailand, there is lack of focus on tertiary education. Also, since Clark’s book covers the period from 1980 to 1999, the fine arts faculty at BU has not been 18 John Clark, Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999 (Sydney: Power Publications, 2010), 195. 29 comprehensively reviewed. BU’s fine arts faculty was founded in 1995; hence, it is not until the turn of the century that an outcome of their education system can be evaluated based on a substantial volume of graduates. Preliminary conclusion. The information gathered from these texts seem to indicate that in the last decade of the twentieth century SU has perpetuated its “domestic monopoly” in the output of tertiary-level certificates that are based on a fundamentally western pedagogy as propounded by Bhirasri in the 1930s. This monopoly appeared to have been counterbalanced in the early 80s by the addition of the fine arts faculty of CU.19 Also, SU appears to have exercised “controlled patronage” over the national art exhibitions and public art spaces at least until the late 90s when non-profit or private art spaces emerged. It is at this time that BU added the fine arts faculty to its curriculum, thus counterbalancing SU’s advocacy. Within the pedagogical scope of these institutions, the art spaces seem to act as educational platform and meeting point for the academic members and the students. PSG Gallery at SU was the first to be found, followed by the other faculties of fine arts. The significance of these institutional spaces, as well as private/commercial art galleries, is that they have fostered the development of art practice in Thailand. In the following area 19 During the interview with Prof Jakapan Vilaseenikul of the Department of Sculpture at SU “The faculty of fine art at Chulalongkorn University was found as a nonSilapkaorn alternative”. See interview transcription—Appendix. 30 for review, two major essays are discussed with the aim of evaluating themes and methodologies developed in twenty-first century Thai art practice and suggesting alternative reasons for their emergence (besides art education). Visual Themes and Methodologies of Twenty-First Century Thai Art The two essays reviewed in this section, “Negotiating Home, History and Nation” by Iola Lenzi and “Traces of Siamese Smile” by Apinan Poshyananda, have been chosen for their relevance to the topic. Although these essays do not attempt to map connections between art education and contemporary art practice, they do suggest, in their views, some of the current art trends among Thai artists. Also, the 2008 Traces of Siamese Smile exhibition, for which the homonym essay was written, has been chosen as the preliminary selection for the artists interviewed in this study, since it represents the biggest Thai art survey of this decade. “Negotiating Home, History and Nation” is a dense and insightful essay written by art critic Iola Lenzi on the occasion of the 2011 Negotiating Home, History and Nation survey of Southeast Asian art at the Singapore Art Museum. Although the text encompasses Southeast Asian art from 1991 to 2011, this review specifically focuses on the comments the author makes with reference to Thai art practice in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. 31 In her introduction, Iola Lenzi underlines the ability of contemporary Thai artists, as opposed to modern Thai artists, to communicate “locally— relevant ideas and concerns” in a way that is easily understood and accessible to Asian and non-Asian audiences. As the exhibition’s time frame indicates, and for the sake of argument, the author chooses to locate ‘contemporary’ in Southeast Asia around the 1990s.20 In the late 90s a substantial volume of art was emerging in Thailand out of the “colonial hangover” that has haunted Siam since the early days of King Chulalongkorn. The young artists of the 1990s—now accomplished senior art practitioners—were expressing, for the first time in a critical manner, themes and methodologies of art-making while still remaining rooted in their own culture. Not that these themes and methodologies had not existed before but rather they had been subdued in favour of the persistent western-other gaze (both Poshyananda and Clark have mentioned the art produced in the 1980s and early 90s as the result of foreign experiences). In Lenzi’s view, recurrent themes of the contemporary language vary from political (Nation) and religious (Buddhism) to social involvement, rendered through an embedded sense of aestheticism, which, from architecture to decorative art, is an integral part of Thai cultural heritage.21 The author identifies several genres of the art produced after “a century of oil on 20 See Iola Lenzi, “Negotiating Home, History and Nation” in Negotiating Home, History and Nation, ed. Iola Lenzi (Singapore: Singapore Art Mu suem, 2011). The 90s is also the time frame adopted in this research paper to indicate contemporary Thai art. 21 See Iola Lenzi, “Made in Thailand: Selling to the Thais, New and Improved” (Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University, 2005) for the exhibition Neo–Nationalism held at The Art Center Chulalongkorn University. Lenzi talks about nationalistic themes as a fundamental topic in contemporary Thai art. 32 canvas”. Mostly, but not exclusively, three-dimensional works, installation, performance and video art, these artworks are often combined with local memories identified in the ‘community’ as historical and personal heritage. In this way, Lenzi reinforces the medium as the additional element that conveys the message of the artists. Going beyond the hegemonic interpretation of Asian art being derivative of the western example, Lenzi locates some of the possible sources of inspiration of contemporary artmaking in Thailand, such as cultural hybridity, memory of colonialism and diaspora. 22 In one definition, according to the author’s view, the art produced at the turn of the twenty-first century is “distinguished for its way of telling life”. Although the artists alluded to in “Negotiating Home, History and Nation” are the senior generation of the population of artists examined in this study, the essay advances critical insights to the Thai art scene at the turn of the twenty-first century. Locally rooted themes such as Buddhism, political instability and social involvement are approached, at this turn of the century, in a more critical manner and often rendered through threedimensional works and installation where the medium becomes part of the message of the artwork. “Traces of Siamese Smile” by Apinan Poshyananda was written on the occasion of the mega project23 Traces of Siamese Smile exhibition by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (OCAC), established in 2001 22 By ‘hybridity’ the author intends the opening up of other cultures on top of existing ones. By ‘diaspora’ it is intended the journey taken by many artists towards foreign lands and then returning to the point of departure. 23 David Teh, “Travelling Without Moving”, translated in Thai for the Thai Journal Aan , http://www.readjournal.org/. 33 and headed by Poshyananda.24 Two catalogues were published for this seminal exhibition. One, of slim configuration, was for the general public and contains basic information on the artworks and artists. The other, much thicker, was supposedly given only to special guests and international audiences. Prof Poshyananda’s essay is published in the latter, being the only curatorial text despite the number of co-curators that worked on this project. The essay “Traces of Siamese Smile” gives a detailed description of what the ‘smile’ represents in Thai etiquette and how its iconography has been reflected in Thai culture—but not exclusively—as a carrier of greater meaning. From religious simulacra in Siamese temples to Orientalist interpretation of the smile by farang spectators, whether of meaningful complicity, or cover-up for humble inadequacy, the smile is the trademark of Thailand—Land of Smiles. Prof Poshyananda continues his essay giving a brief description of each of the 100 artists and allocating them, according to their language or methodology, into the four sub-themes of the exhibition: Art, Faith, Politics, and Love. The essay is relevant in its own right for questions arise rather than answers. By subdividing the exhibition into four categories it would be acceptable to assume that these are the main themes or trends within contemporary Thai art production highlighted by the curators. Furthermore, by allocating artists to each theme, they have traced out certain common methodologies shared by contemporary artists. However, some unanswered questions have arisen from the essay. For instance, neither 24 Ibid. The role of OCAC was that of moderator between local and international art platforms. Among other projects, OCAC commissioned the Thai pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2003 and the participation of Thai artists at Documenta 12. 34 clear curatorial vision is declared in the text nor insightful comments are given to the reader on the underlying reason that brought these Thai artists together. Preliminary conclusion. Both texts advance certain common themes and methodologies that are developed and fostered by art practitioners in twenty-first century Thailand. The themes that seem to be identified by these two essays are primarily religion (or ‘faith’ and ‘grace’ in Poshyananda’s show); politics as in national identity or patriotic fervour; and Siamese love interpreted as motherly love, artificial love in the materialistic society or, in general, social involvement within the nation. Both essays are representative of two seminal exhibitions held in this decade, and both exhibitions have underlined similarities in the suggestions of visual themes—although approached in different curatorial frameworks. Negotiating Home, History and Nation is a survey on Southeast Asian art at large whereas Traces of Siamese Smile is the most extensive survey on Thai contemporary art. For the purpose of this research, which focuses on the Thai art practice of the twenty-first century, Prof Poshyananda’s categorisation has been adopted for the selection of the artists interviewed in this study. 2.3 Conclusion The founding of each faculty was strongly motivated by the historical and political circumstances of the 1940s, 80s and 90s, thus bearing consequences on their respective educational bent. Western- 35 based curriculum seems to be the core preoccupation of the early approach to art teaching at SU. Although in later years attempts were made to reconcile the conflicting current of traditionalism and modernism by synthesising indigenous elements with western influences. 25 In the subsequent decades, SU has performed, in Clark’s view, a sort of “domestic monopoly” in the output of tertiary-level certificates. By the early 80s, this tendency was slightly counterbalanced by the addition of the “non-Silpakorn alternative” Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at CU. Despite the growing number of institutions in these years promoting art education (Chiang Mai University and Khon Ken University, among others), there remains a strong sense of uniformity in the art production and the notion that art education is strongly based on ideological conformity that prevented social confrontation.26 In the 1990s the “controlled patronage” exercised by SU over national art exhibitions and public art spaces slowly diluted with the emergence of non-profit or privately founded art spaces. It is also at this time that BU added the School of Fine and Applied Arts to its curriculum. By the close of the twentieth century, locally rooted themes such as religion and faith, innocence and love27, social engagement and national 25 The curriculum was by no means clear- cut; if on one hand there was the vision of modern art out reaching towards the west, on the other there was the attempt to merge indigenous and foreign elements like “ merging multiple layers of styles”, the result being unpredictable. 26 John Clark, Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999 (Sydney: Power Publications, 2010), 195. 27 Apinan Poshyananda, Traces of Siamese Smile: Art + Faith + Politics + Love (Bangkok: BACC, 2008), 65. 36 identity had been interpreted for the first time in a critical manner and developed as the departure point for a new art-making. In Chapters 3 and 4 of this study, two aspects of the discourse developed so far are given particular attention: first, to fill the gaps left by these texts by exploring the eduational approach of SU, CU and BU in the last 10 years; second, to assess the role of art education in promoting a contemporary language expressed through common themes and methodologies. 37 3. COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF THE FINE ARTS CURRICULUM OF THREE LEADING UNIVERSITIES 3.1 Introduction In Chapter 1, the researcher introduces the case study methodology for the selection of the universities to be discussed in this paper. After screening a number of options, three universities met the following criteria: 1. Geographical consideration 2. Public and private educational sectors 3. Recognition in public ranking surveys These universities are Silpakorn University (SU), Chulalongkorn University (CU), and Bangkok University (BU). In this chapter, each university is approached thematically in order to proficiently address some of the research questions stated in Chapter 1: • What is the mission and philosophy, at present day, of these art institutions and how do they compare with each other? • What are the key strengths and discrepancies in their fine arts curricula? As indicated in the table below, each university emerges at different times of modern Thailand. They also differ in overall number of faculties and course duration. 38 Table 3.1 Academic structure of the three universities COMMENCEMENT OF THE FINE ARTS FACULTY COURSE DURATION (YEARS) UNIVERSITY YEAR OF FOUNDING NUMBER OF FACULTIES Silpakorn 1943 13 1943—Faculty of Painting and 1 Sculpture 5 Chulalongkorn 1917 (Originally founded in 1899 as the Civil Service Training School) 20 1982—Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts (including the Department of Visual Art) 4 Bangkok 1962 20 1992—School of Fine and 2 Applied Arts 4 3.2 Case Studies Silpakorn University3 Founding of the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Design (PSG). Corrado Feroci founded the School of Fine Arts (Silpakorn) in 1933 as a result of a political action made by General Phibun’s government.4 In 1943 the school was granted the status of University, with the opening of the Faculty of Painting and Sculpture, later renamed Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Design (PSG). When Feroci, henceforth named Bhirasri, became Dean in 1943, he outlined his goals in 1 In the 60s the faculty was renamed Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Design (PSG). 2 In 1995 the Department of Visual Art was added to the curriculum. 3 This paragraph is chiefly based on the researcher’s interviews with Dean Parinya Tantisuk of PSG, and SU Prof Jakapan Vilansineekul, Head of Sculpture Department. The interview transcripts can be found in the appendix. 4 General Phibun’s government regarded art as a powerful nation-building tool. Refer to Chapter 2 for more historical information. 39 accomplishing art education in Thailand by emphasising three areas of teaching: the art style of the nation, the fashionable mode of contemporary, and the spread of international modern art.5 To achieve this task he trained Thai artists and craftsmen to work with him. Bhirasri’s aim was to “produce artisan-artist (chang-sinlapin) who could practise both fine and applied art, hence filling the gap previously occupied by foreigners”.6 With this purpose in mind, he envisioned the importance of sending Thai artists to study and work abroad. Chalood Nimsamer—who succeeded Bhirasri —was one of them. Nimsamer was first sent to Italy and then to America where he developed an interest for graphic arts.7 Although at that time printmaking techniques such as lithography, typography and serigraphy were considered innovative compared to traditional skills, the university increasingly embraced them. As a result, after the return of Chalood Nimsamer to Thailand, the Department of Graphic Design was added to the programme of the Faculty of Painting and Sculpture, which then became the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Design. Funding support. Silpakorn University is entirely funded by the government. One of the consequences of full government sponsorship is, in Prof Jakapan’s words, “political correctness … which has always been the direction of SU teaching process”, by that suggesting that political 5 Apinan Poshyananda, Modern Art in Thailand (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), 31. See also Somporn Rodboon, “History of Modern Art in Thailand” in Asian Modernism. Diverse Development of Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand (Tokyo: Japan Foundation, 1995). 6 Ibid., 33. 7 Interview with Dean Parynia Tantisuk, dated November 30, 2010—Appendix. Graphic techniques were to make, in Dean Parinya’s view, “the faculty more avant-garde”. 40 artworks are not commonly shown on the university’s grounds. 8 Interestingly, on the same topic PSG Dean Parinya offers a different opinion. When asked if limitations are felt as a result of government supervision, he alluded to the freedom that academic members have in designing the curriculum and art programmes to the best needs of the school. Such programmes, including art exhibitions, workshops and residencies for the students are, however, entirely funded by private corporations and banks. As a result, SU is a rare example whereby full government funding and private support co-exist. Patronage is of course one of the implications from both parties. Private corporations have over the years developed a reliable network with PSG and are irreplaceable relief for the fund-raising burden. The same can be said for the government’s full financial sponsorship. Academic members and directive board. Seventy percent of the academic staff comes from the former alumni body, resulting in a so-called inbreeding system that “has both good and bad sides”. 9 Most of the academic members completed their BFA in SU but pursued their MFA abroad, thus providing a good balance of education from within and 8 Professors and artists teaching at SU have from the 1990s onwards produced political artworks yet shown at alternative locations. One example is artist and professor, Sutee Kunavichayanont, well known for his practice revolving around social critics and politics. See Iola Lenzi, “Formal Cues and Historical Clues in the Art of Sutee Kunavichayanont” in Inflated Nostalgia (Singapore: Atelier Frank & Lee, 2001). 9 Parinya alludes to the continuation of the curriculum as one of the good sides, although this may pose limitations when updating educational approaches, hence representing its bad side. Interview with Dean Parinya Tantisuk, dated November 30, 2010—Appendix. 41 outside 10 : “It helps the continuity of the faculty and the output is appreciated. It has proven to be good even today from the thesis … of the students. Their works are considered good and they have received many awards, internationally and domestically.”11 However, SU’s increasing interest towards employing academic members from other universities suggests its awareness of the growing competition for education at the national level. 12 Today, this intake represents only 30 percent of the overall faculty staff strength. At executive level, each faculty has its own directive board. The PSG directive board is the highest decision-making organ and is in charge of the approval of all education programmes or curriculum changes proposed by the subcommittees of each department. Sub-committees are called academic committees. They consist of deputy deans and professors from each department, and overlook the academic planning, research and curriculum of the department. Both directive board members and the dean are replaced every four years and are renewable for one term. In addition to this governing system designed by Bhirasri in 1943— and respectfully kept ever since—each educational institution in Thailand 10 Some examples are Prof Chalood Nimsamer, who studied in the US; Prof Parinya Tantisuk (current Dean), who studied in Japan; and Prof Sutee Kunavichayanont, Head of the Art Theories programme, who studied in Australia. 11 Interview with Dean Parynia Tantisuk dated November 30th, 2010– appendix. 12 There are over 100 universities and institutions of higher learning in Thailand today, of which 30 are located in Bangkok. These institutions are classified as Public Universities, Rajabhat Universities (41 public institutions aimed at providing higher education to regional provinces), Rajamanghala University of Technology (nine public institutions formerly known as a polytechnic institute system) and Private Universities. 42 is subjected to Quality Assurance (QA).13 Based on a set of indicators specifically developed to the needs of each educational establishment, SU QA controls and ensures the quality of education among the students and academic members. It also dictates the ratio of academic members to students within each faculty. At present, SU seems to be coping with the QA requirements, albeit facing greater difficulties compared to the other institutions.14 Mission (Pantakeen) of the university 15 . According to Dean Parinya, SU has four main goals: 1. Academic excellence and recognition both at home and abroad; 2. Commitment to leadership in society, and contribution to public and national development; 3. Strong scholarly interests, especially in areas such as art and culture; and 4. Commitment to public service to encourage its staff and students to engage in activities for social and community development. When applied to the curriculum, each of these goals has a great impact on the education SU propounds to its students. For instance, Bhirasri’s aim to promote national identity, reinforced by Chalood Nimsamer with the 13 To learn more about QA regulation at SU, http://www.qa.su.ac.th/DATA/index_QA.html, assessed March 3, 2010. 14 According to BU Dean Sansern, CU academic members are mostly trained in education and hence are familiar with QA pre-requisites. However, most SU academic staff are artists without great knowledge in education. Refer to BU section for more information on this topic. 15 For more information on SU mission, http://www.eds.su.ac.th/su-historyeng.htm. 43 addition of the Thai Art department in 1977, is still reflected in today’s requirement to take at least one subject within this department throughout the five years of academic studies. The same can be said for the university’s commitment to social service. The students are encouraged to visit rural areas and participate in community life. In doing so, students nurture a strong sense of national belonging and cultivate among themselves knowledge that the university stands as a representative of the nation. Revisions and strengths of the curriculum (Lak Suut). The curriculum was last revised in 2007 (for the first time in 15 years). By 2012 all universities nationwide are expected to update their curricula. “I think we [professors] play a minor role in decision-making, I have to follow the department policy,” comments Prof Jakapan, highlighting that what really counts is the hierarchical order of professorship. 16 According to Dean Parynia, “it’s hard to make everyone happy … some board members still feel that the changes are not satisfying. But some changes have happened.” For example, the new curriculum does not require the fourthand fifth-year students to choose a minor subject but only to focus on their major. This is to facilitate better performance of the final-year students in their projects. Also, the new curriculum offers alternative choices across the departments of the faculty, allowing for a more interdisciplinary approach. PSG offers a five-year academic curriculum. In the first three years, all students (with a staff-student ratio of 1 to 10 per class) share the same 16 Interview with Professor Jakapan Vilansineekul, dated October 13, 2010—Appendix. 44 core subjects of drawing, painting and composition—as designed by Bhirasri in his first curriculum—to “reflect the identity of Silpakorn University, its DNA”. In the second year, the students are encouraged to study installation art, printmaking and creativity in visual art. Moving up to the third year, the students focus on art management, painting, sculpture, printmaking and Thai art, all of which are compulsory subjects. Optional subjects include classic art, art criticism, landscape painting and photography. In the fourth year, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and drawing are all compulsory subjects and, together with Thai art, are followed through to the fifth year in preparation for the thesis. The strength of the curriculum is the focus on the students’ basic graphic skills. “From the first to the third years, the students are trained strongly in terms of basic skills, and then in the fourth and fifth years they are given the freedom to experiment, to create their individual artwork.”17 Entrance test. Each year 110 students are accepted to PSG according to an allocated percentage for each entrance examination. About 50 percent of the students are selected by the in loco examination. To pass this examination, students have to obtain a high score in all the basic figurative tests. About 20 percent are selected based on grades. The students are pre-selected by a number of schools or colleges that have had a long working relation with SU. This system is in place since Bhirasri and ensures that only the top students from selected schools are admitted 17 Interview with Dean Parinya Tantisuk, dated November 30, 2010—Appendix. Prof Jakapan alludes to a decrease of “craftsmanship in the students” perhaps as a result of the in loco examination (details in next paragraph), which, although very competitive, has opened the school to include non-art trained students. 45 to the university. About 20 percent are selected based on their portfolios. Within this category the students are required to be recognised in competitions or major art events in Thailand and internationally. About 10 percent are selected from National Quota. Based on one of the university’s goals of social service, SU caters primarily to eight regions in western Thailand. Students from these regions can apply for admission. Notwithstanding the increasing competition from younger art schools, SU still remains one of the most exclusive art institutions in Thailand. Typology of students enrolled at SU and cost of the programme. About 50 percent of the students applying to SU do not have art background.18 This is partly due to the recent addition of the in loco entrance examination, which denotes SU interest to widen its student population, previously only selected from a cohort of skilful art students. As a result, a subsequent decrease in figurative qualities (as discussed by Prof Jakapan) may imply a greater challenge faced by the academic staff to train the students appropriately. 19 The counter-argument is that the larger diversity of students may also imply a newly acquired freedom for the academic members to encourage interdisciplinary approaches. To be noted, the university offers a variety of full or partial scholarships. “Most students here are not very rich,” Dean Parinya adds. The cost of the programme is approximately THB 10,000 per term. 18 Secondary school education in Thailand is based either on general knowledge or vocation divided by practice. 19 A similar challenge is faced by CU and BU though in smaller scale, considering the more conceptual approach that is propounded in their curricula. 46 Grooming and supporting the students. “There are good students … if you know how to select them. I find those diamonds. They’re not cut yet.” says Prof Jakapan when asked how the faculty supports the students. However, the aim of SU is not only to groom skilful artists but also to develop a sense of social responsibility towards the country. With this aim in mind, PSG engages in projects geared towards public awareness and sense of community. Students have been involved in regional projects with selected communities to build and decorate temples, and to teach and publicise art in villages and rural areas. Beyond this, the support of the faculty extends to providing the students with the opportunity to show at important art platforms such as the National Art Exhibition, geared towards SU students and academic members. Although the National Art Exhibition is open to all students and artists throughout the country, those that apply to and pass the selection test are mostly SU students.20 Ranking as the highest art recognition in Thailand21, National Art Exhibition awards are “like the Oscars, they go to the good ones”.22 In addition to such platforms, there are a number of faculty galleries in the campus. Lately though, SU professors have founded their own private galleries, which seem to work primarily with SU 20 Since the first National Art Exhibition in 1949, criteria were set to give merit to works that reflect modern currents and that are skilfully executed. See Apinan Poshyananda, Modern Art in Thailand (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992). 21 John Clark, Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999 (Sydney: Power Publications, 2010), 127. 22 Interview with Dean Parinya Tantisuk, dated November 30, 2010—Appendix. Parinya implies that the best art students are SU students since they are granted most of the National Art Exhibition awards. 47 artists, somewhat publicising private activities within SU grounds, thus potentially resulting in a conflict of interest.23 Table 3.2 SU Visual Art programme CURRENT DEAN DEPARTMENT —NUMBER OF ACADEMIC STAFF LAST REVISION OF CURRICULUM COURSE DURATION AND COST NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED PER YEAR FUNDING 110 Government Sculpture—8 Painting—8 Prof Parynia Tantisuk Printmaking—8 Thai Art—10 Mixed Media—5 2007 (Previously revised in 1995; next revision in 2012) 5 years; approx. THB 10,000 per term Art Theories—8 Chulalongkorn University24 Founding of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts. “The Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University was founded as a non-Silpakorn alternative,” comments SU Prof Jakapan, implying that SU has been for long time the only option in the art education market.25 Dean Suppakorn Disatapundhu elaborates further on this comment made by SU Prof Jakapan, adding that according to CU constitution proclaimed in 1917 23 Interview with Professor Jakapan Vilansineekul, dated October 13, 2010—Appendix. Particular reference is made to Prof Tavorn Ko-Udomvit, who owns Ardel Gallery. This gallery has three different locations in Bangkok that present works chiefly by SU professors and SU graduates. 24 This paragraph is chiefly based on the researcher’s interviews with the dean of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at CU, Prof Suppakorn Disatapundhu, and Prof Kamol Phaosavasdi, Head of the Intermedia department. Transcripts of the interviews can be found in the appendix. 25 Interview with Professor Jakapan Vilansineekul, dated October 13, 2010—Appendix. 48 by its founder King Rama VI26, “a faculty of fine art was to be established to serve the university goal of nurturing the cultural heritage and expanding the horizons of the modern arts”.27 The Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, formally founded in 1982, was, for the longest time, integrated as an art programme within the Faculty of Architecture. With the growing economy and the rising of Thai middle class in the 1980s, a new, albeit limited, art market was emerging. Responding to the increasing interest in art, CU and other universities in Thailand, such as Chiang Mai University and Khon Ken University, added fine arts courses to their curricula. 28 In 1982, the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts was established at CU, and it was subdivided into four departments: Music, Dance, Design, and Visual Art.29 Funding support. Eighty percent of the financial support comes from the government.30 The rest of the revenue, that is, 20 percent, comes from the students’ tuition fees. When King Rama VI founded the university (based on the Oxford and Cambridge models) he divided the land into university and business areas to ensure that education in the campus would always be maintained in a trust system. Today, part of CU land is leased to several private organisations and shopping malls. Revenue from 26 http://www.chula.ac.th/cuen/, assessed November 3, 2010. Interview with Dean Suppakorn Disatapundhu, dated November 29, 2010—Appendix. 28 Vichoke Mukdamanee, “Development of Contemporary Art in Thailand”, Silpakorn University International Journal, 2, 1 (January–June, 2002). 29 As a note for clarification, this study focuses on CU Visual Art department (within the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts) compared to the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Design (PSG) in SU and the Department of Visual Art (within the School of Fine and Applied Arts) in BU. 30 However, according to Dean Suppakorn, the Ministry of Education is reducing this percentage to about 60 percent. 27 49 the lease of the land is devoted to the maintenance of the campus, facilities and academic staff. Interestingly, contrary to Dean Parynia’s comments in relation to SU’s freedom over government’s guidelines, Dean Suppakorn feels that the impinging presence of the government dictates substantial limitations on CU’s growth towards a complete review of art education.31 Academic members and directive board. Since the 1980s, CU has embraced academic members from other institutions in Thailand and internationally (Dean Suppakorn graduated in US). However, around 70 percent of the academic staff is former alumni. This implies a hierarchical “inbreeding” towards internal professorship.32 In addition, to ensure highquality education at tertiary level, the Ministry of Education has further limited the recruitment of academic staff by dictating a dedicated ratio of 30 percent for PhD fellows and associate professors within each faculty.33 Overall, when comparing the academic members of the three universities, BU seems to be the only one to facilitate external recruitment of full- and part-time lecturers to the benefit of the students, whom can then be exposed to a variety of teaching methodologies.34 31 Such limitations are felt for instance on the number of students enrolled to the school each year and the number of faculty members. 32 In Thai public institutions at tertiary level the academic professional journey starts with lecturer, which in five years promotes to assistant professor and after five years associate professor. Professorship is recognised at the national level, hence it is a highly respected position. 33 In other words there is a requirement of at least 30 percent of the staff comprising PhD fellows and associate professors. This applies equally to all public universities. 34 Interview with Professor Kamol Phaosavasi, dated October 14, 2010—Appendix. BU is so far the only university that invites lecturers from overseas. As a note for consideration, the monetary remuneration at BU is much higher than at public universities. 50 At board level, the fine arts faculty is managed by 13 people headed by the dean, plus sub-committees for each department. According to Dean Suppakorn, most of the departments in his faculty run smoothly, except for the Visual Art department, which is “the most challenging ... to run”. This is because most of the academic members are artists who have creative, but unpractical minds.35 Both the board members and dean are replaced every four years, and can be re-elected twice.36 CU is one of the richest and oldest educational institutions in Thailand. In virtue of its prestige, academic members tend to pursue long-standing careers within the institution, jeopardising the external recruitment policy advocated by Dean Suppakonr and current board members. Mission (Pantakeen) of the university37. The main goals of the university are: 1. To be a comprehensive institution; 2. To support research in the university’s major fields, such as science, technology, medicine, and social and political science; 3. To preserve national heritage, as well as expand the horizon of modern arts; and 4. To serve as a social structure for the education of the nation. 35 To be noted, faculty members cannot be dismissed from the university once they are employed as full-time members. This makes for a low turnover of new professors. Older professor, though, can ask to take a sabbatical year off every seven years of service. 36 The two previous deans maintained their positions since 1982. 37 For a detailed account of CU’s mission, http://www.inter.chula.ac.th/inter/AboutUs/mission.htm, assessed February 13, 2011. 51 In keeping with these goals, the university provides about 50 to 60 scholarships yearly for its academic members to pursue doctoral researches (as in the case of Prof Apinan Poshyananda), and about 15 full and partial scholarships are given yearly to economically disadvantaged students. The total amount devoted to yearly scholarship accounts for THB 1.5 million, which is added to the cost of running the faculty, around THB 2 million per year. Overall, CU’s concern seems to be that of encouraging research and education for academic staff and students, thus attempting to build on new knowledge for the benefit of its educational system. Revisions and strengths of the curriculum (Lak Suut). The curriculum has not been revised since 1982, the year the faculty was founded. As stated in the SU section, all universities nationwide are expected to renew their curriculum in 2012. “… it’s a national policy. So, my task now is to push the academic members. There is resistance though.”38 Dean Suppakorn adds that some of the faculty members at CU seem reluctant towards curriculum revision, as this would involve a replanning and rolling out of new programmes.39 CU’s art programme is a four-year curriculum.40 The staff-to-student ratio for each class is 1 to 8, a figure well within the requirement of 1 to 12 advanced by the QA body.41 First-year students focus on general studies, Western art history, drawing 38 Interview with Dean Suppakorn Disatapundhu, dated November 29, 2010—Appendix. These programmes include art criticism, art theory and art history, all of which are fully supported by the dean. 40 Refer to the appendix for CU full curriculum. 41 This is a much lower ratio than that for SU or BU, implying greater attention devoted to each student by the academic staff. For detailed information on QA operating policy at CU, refer to http://www.cuqa.chula.ac.th/en/qa_mechanism/data.htm, assessed February 16, 2011. 39 52 and creative design. In the second year, they focus more on general basic skills, photography and Thai art. The latter is carried out only in the second year, as compared to SU where Thai art is compulsory throughout the entire course (in BU the Thai art and cultural identities subject is only covered in one elective course). Intermedia is introduced in the third year, during which students choose their majors. Art criticism and creative thinking subjects are carried out only in the fourth year (as compared to BU curriculum in which these subjects are introduced as early as the second year). Also, in the fourth year students prepare their senior projects, which constitutes part of the end-of-programme exhibition. Often this event takes place in the university art galleries and more recently at BACC, the only art space “open to contemporary currents”.42 Going forward, the aim of the dean is to focus on the most successful majors in the Visual Art department, such as intermedia and printmaking. Painting and drawing are still part of the curriculum but need to take a back seat. “Those are conservative arts. The new approach to art is not just painting and sculpture, or printmaking anymore. It’s something about the idea.”43 One of the strengths of the curriculum is that it was designed for general knowledge beyond the selected department. “Studying here at Chulalongkorn for the bachelor’s degree is not easy because students have to satisfy at least 30 credits on general knowledge classes and humanities subjects.”44 Also, the curriculum is designed to 42 Interview with Professor Kamol Phaosavasi, dated October 14, 2010—Appendix. According to Dean Suppakorn, some of the funds could be further allocated to develop facilities such as equipment for the Intermedia department headed by Prof Kamol Phaoasavasdi. 44 Interview with Dean Suppakorn Disatapundhu, dated November 29, 2010—Appendix. 43 53 provide equal opportunities to a variety of students, regardless of their basic education, and to train them, in only four years, to become successful artists. This, however, may also result in its greater weakness since the academic staff faces the challenge of training general students into artists, albeit not enhancing the training on basic skills (as opposed to SU) and yet requiring them to select a major (as opposed to BU). Overall, CU seems to be projected in the future, envisioning improvements in its art curriculum, which was designed in the 1980s. This effort needs to be undertaken by the whole faculty, which, after 20 years, seems to be very comfortable with the same pedagogy. On this topic, it is worth noting the diaspora pattern followed by some of the most successful artists who graduated from CU. They have often moved on to teaching careers at alternative education systems including BU.45 Entrance test. Each year, 120 students are accepted to the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, of which 30 are enrolled in the Visual Art department.46 The majority of the students are selected through national examinations (or National Quota), as well as in loco entrance tests. Comparatively, the selection process is less regimented than with Silpakorn. CU’s main goal is to reach out to students who do not have art background and yet are interested in exploring art studies. As such, the art curriculum not only focuses on art programmes but also on general education, resulting in a highly competitive academic journey. 45 This topic is further elaborated in Chapter 4, in the section for Wit Pimkanchanapong. 46 An equal number of students are admitted to the School of Fine and Applied Arts at BU. Overall, this represents a smaller population when compared to SU’s student intake per year. Based on the sheer number, SU students constitute the majority of graduates each year. 54 A note for consideration is that the number of students admitted to the Visual Art department is barely reaching the minimum. This phenomenon is possibly originated by the lack of appeal of CU’s neverrevised art curriculum. Also, as explained by Prof Kamol, students sitting for the National Quota may apply simultaneously to more than one public university to enhance their chances of being selected. As a result, the same candidate may be selected for an interview by multiple universities, thus relaying the impression that each university interviews a sufficient number of candidates.47 Typology of students enrolled at CU and cost of the programme. CU has a variety of students from different backgrounds. Most importantly, the students accepted at the Visual Art department are not required to have attended preparatory schools, such as Changseen or Pho Chang (discussed previously in the SU section). Overall, students enter CU to be informed in the arts and to be trained to pursue art-related careers, whereas SU’s academic goal—as seen in the previous section— seems to be that of shaping the chang-sinlapin par excellence.48 This is also one of the major differences between CU and SU. Whereas the latter can afford to select their students based on preset criteria, CU needs to reach out to a wider population, thus bearing consequences on the number and quality of artists that emerge from its Visual Art department. 47 It is eventually up to the candidate to decide which interview to attend. If the candidate is selected by both SU and CU, he/she would automatically choose SU for its outstanding name and history. 48 Chang-sinlapin translates as artisan-artist. See Apinan Poshyananda, Modern Art in Thailand (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), 29. 55 Although this will be subject for discussion in Chapter 4, an immediate comment is that fewer quality artists are now graduating from CU.49 Grooming and supporting the students. CU’s aim is to groom “international students”50, that is to enable the students to develop their own understanding of contemporary art, and to push them towards alternative professions within the art world such as art history and art criticism—areas still under-developed in Thailand. Students are supported, throughout the academic studies, to exhibit their work at the university galleries/art spaces open to professors and students alike. However, at the national level, it is felt that the National Art Exhibition is still very much under the monopoly of SU. “There are rumours that if you are not from SU you will never enter.”51 Adding to this, Prof Kamol says that since the mid90s, alternative spaces and projects have started to develop, opening up alternatives for young artists. 52 Overall, the image CU wants to convey is that of a faculty projecting very much in the future, looking at international—rather then national—art competitions where, it is felt, the contemporary language of art is developed at the global level. 49 For the case study selection of the artists, the researcher could only choose two artists from CU, one of whom from CU Faculty of Architecture, since there were not enough candidates from the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts to meet the selection criteria. 50 Interview with Dean Suppakorn Disatapundhu, dated October 29, 2010—Appendix. 51 Ibid. 52 Such as Project 304, founded, among others, by artists Montien Boonma, Kamol Phaosavasdi, Chatchai Puipia, Micheal Shoawanasai, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Prapon Kumjim, and art critic Gridthiya Gaweewong, who says, “Project 304 is a nonprofit art space. It was founded in 1996 to support contemporary artistic and cultural activities through art exhibitions as well as media and time based works and events including the Bangkok Experimental Film Festival.” http://www.project304.info/, assessed March 5, 2011. 56 Table 3.3 CU Visual Art programme CURRENT DEAN Prof Suppakorn Disatapundhu DEPARTMENTS IN THE FACULTY OF FINE AND APPLIED ARTS Music, Dance, Design, and Visual Art VISUAL ART MAJORS— NUMBER OF ACADEMIC STAFF LAST REVISION OF CURRICUL UM COURSE DURATION AND COST Sculpture— 2 Painting—2 Printmaking —2 Intermedia— 2 1982 (Next revision in 2012) 4 years; approx. THB 10,000 per term NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED PER YEAR 110 (30 students are allocated to the Visual Art department.) FUNDING Government —80% Tuition fees—20% Bangkok University53 Founding of the School of Fine and Applied Arts. In the early 1990s, the growing interest for art education (as discussed in Chapter 2) led BU founder Mr Surat Osathanugrah, together with the executive board members, to add the School of Fine and Applied Arts to BU curriculum. “At that time not many universities were offering art majors, exception made for SU and CU.”54 In 1992 the School of Fine and Applied Arts opened to the public offering courses in Interior Design and Communication. A couple of years later, in 1995 (2538 of the Buddhist era), two more departments were added: Fashion and Visual Art. The current dean, Prof Sansern Milindasuta, graduated at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at CU and 53 This paragraph is chiefly based on the researcher’s interviews with the dean of the School of Fine and Applied Arts at BU, Prof Sansern Milandesuta, and Prof Nipan Oranniwesna of the Visual Arts II and Printmaking class. The interview transcripts can be found in the appendix. 54 Interview with Dean Sansern Milandesuta, dated December 1, 2010—Appendix. 57 went to England to acquire his MFA. Upon his return to Thailand, BU’s School of Fine and Applied Arts had just opened and was actively looking for new lecturers. Prof Sansern has been with BU ever since, proactively campaigning for the establishment of the Visual Art department. Funding support. BU is a non-profit organisation. At the time of its founding in 1962 the university was fully supported by its founder Mr Surat Osathanugrah. Today, it is a self-sustainable institution, the students’ fees contributing to the main revenue. In addition, the land on which both the Bangkok and Rangsit campuses reside are BU property. No support from the government is provided to private institutions in Thailand, notwithstanding that both public and private universities are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education. According to Dean Sansern, when BU was founded in 1962, the education business was prospering. This was due to the demand of the increasing number of students, which was outgrowing the capacity at national universities. Conversely, today’s phenomenon is that a diminishing number of students completing high school undertake tertiary education. According to Dean Sansern, this phenomenon can be the result of 1) progressive change in society and subsequent smaller young population profile; 2) public institutions not making an individual effort towards proactive student recruitment despite the growing number of universities.55 55 Over 100 universities and other institutions of higher learning exist in Thailand today, of which 30 are located in Bangkok. These institutions are classified as Public Universities, Rajabhat Universities (41 public institutions aimed at providing higher education to regional provinces), Rajamanghala University of Technology (nine public institutions formerly known as a polytechnic institute system) and Private Universities. All these institutions are under the government’s auspices; accordingly, 58 Academic members and directive board. Since the opening of the School of Fine and Applied Arts, the academic members have been selected based on their portfolio. Most full- and part-time staff and lecturers graduated at CU (as Dean Sansern himself), as well as SU. This provides an added value to BU’s art education as it opens up to a variety of teaching methods and heterogeneous academic body. Recently, the opening of grants and scholarships gives former alumni the same opportunity to becoming academic members. These scholarships, conducted in loco or abroad, carry the implication that the eligible students/academic members have to return to BU, at the completion of the programme, as full-time teaching staff. The teaching body constitutes the department’s committee, which is overseen by the Board of Executives and governed by the Board of Trustees. While changes in policy or curriculum are made within each department, they have to be reported to the Board of Executives and eventually approved by the Board of Trustees. Both the dean and board members are elected every two years (in contrast with every four years for public institutions), which is renewable for any number of times. The Board of Trustees is under direct governance of the Ministry of Education, which provides the main guidelines for the overall layout of the art curriculum throughout private and public universities in Thailand.56 The increasingly influential government body, which acts independently of the Ministry of the growing offer of institutions is not matched by a growing advertising of the courses. 56 Adjustments to the curriculum can be made by the individual institutions to best suit the university’s needs. However, Dean Sansern feels QA is exercising control over the universities rather than suggesting guidelines. 59 Education, is the QA department (already mentioned in the previous paragraphs). QA transcends national and international boundaries with the aim to 1) facilitate international ranking of the universities; and 2) ensure the quality of education. The pressing national expectations of QA have brought deans of various institutions together twice a year for the Council of Fine Arts Deans presided by Dean Sansern. According to Sansern, CU is fully aware of QA expectations, whereas SU dean and directive board are facing greater difficulties in meeting QA requirements.57 BU, on the other hand, chiefly complies with QA’s terms and conditions.58 Mission (Pantakeen) of the university59. BU’s main goals are: 1. To produce high-quality students by promoting a creative society, that is, supporting the creativity of the students; 2. To facilitate research and academic discourse; and 3. To encourage development and to exchange knowledge, within the country and internationally. In keeping with these goals, the Visual Art department actively encourages the students to push for creativity and individual ideas in their artworks.60 Paramount is the department’s philosophy of providing the basic 57 According to Dean Sansern, CU academic members are mostly trained in education and hence are familiar with QA pre-requisites. However, most of the SU academic staff are artists without specific knowledge in education. 58 To know more about QA policy at BU refer to http://qa.bu.ac.th/, assessed February 23, 2011. 59 For a detailed account of BU Mission, refer to http://thailanduniversity.blogspot.com/2007/10/bangkok-university.html, assessed February 23, 2011. 60 One way to achieve this is to have art criticism classes at an early stage. This practice in BU differs greatly from SU and CU, where art criticism is introduced only later in the curriculum. 60 vocabulary of the art language, that is, enhancing the art-making process by primarily developing the concept. In this perspective the school aims to solicit in the students an understanding of “art geared to integrate knowledge and society”61, and not subscribing to the historical doctrine of “art for art’s sake”.62 Revisions and strengths of the curriculum (Lak Suut). The curriculum is updated every five years, with the last update in 2010. BU has a four-year curriculum63, as with CU, whereas SU has a five-year curriculum. In BU, the first-year students follow the foundation courses, such as drawing, two- and three-dimensional design, colour theory, and art history. All departments in the School of Fine and Applied Arts share the same foundation curriculum, which Dean Sansern calls the “alphabet of the art language”. All second-year students have to practise painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography and media art since there is no separation between majors. However, individual practice is encouraged for some subject matters to allow the curriculum enough breadth to cover a variety of subjects.64 When the students reach the third year, they have to attend visual arts classes (divided into Visual Arts I to Visual Arts IV) and eventually in the fourth year students develop their final projects. Since the students 61 Interview with Dean Sansern Milandesuta, dated December 1, 2010—Appendix. The same can be said for CU; however, SU still subscribes to the “art for art’s sake” doctrine so defined by SU Prof Amrit Chusuwa as per interview with Prof Jakapan Vilaseenikul, dated October 13, 2010—Appendix. 63 That means a total of 132 to 145 credits for the four-year programme. See Appendix for BU full curriculum. 64 For instance, sculpture is taught as a subject but there are many techniques within sculpture (such as carving, casting etc), which can be developed individually by the students. 62 61 have complete freedom in choosing their favourite medium for their final projects (not having to choose a major), an interesting phenomenon occurs whereby each year sees different outcomes of the students’ achievement, “for example, this year, most of them [students] made objects … No photos some years.”65 The strength of the BU curriculum is to be “as flexible as it can be”66, so as to encourage individual thinking and creativity in the students. Also, the curriculum focuses on critical understanding, that is, it encourages the students to critically evaluate an artwork, to distinguish a “good work from a bad work”67, in contrast, removed from the skill focus advocated in SU. In addition, BU’s curriculum promotes a number of careers in art-related fields, for instance, art curators and critics, areas still underdeveloped in Thailand.68 Entrance test. Annually, 300 to 400 students enter the School of Fine and Applied Arts. Of these about 40 students enter the Visual Art department (Communication being the biggest department with over 200 students per year). The ratio at BU is 1 lecturer to 12 students, slightly higher than at SU or CU. The revenue, chiefly generated by the number of students enrolling in the programmes, is paramount to the selfsustainability of the BU campus. This dictates the ratio of students to 65 Interview with Prof Nipan Oranniwesna, dated October 12, 2010—Appendix. Interview with Dean Sansern Milandesuta, dated December 1, 2010—Appendix. 67 Ibid. 68 This is achieved by including in the curriculum art criticism and aesthetics classes. See BU art curriculum in the appendix. 66 62 professors; however, BU is still within QA guidelines.69 Students apply to BU through a number of ways: 1. National examination—this is held twice a year and students are tested on a variety of subjects, such as English, Thai, Science, Mathematics and Art 2. In loco entrance examination 3. Portfolio of studies Typology of students enrolled at BU and cost of the programme. BU receives a variety of applications. Often, students who fail the national or in loco examinations to SU or CU apply at BU. Such examinations are very strict on drawing, painting, and two- and threedimensional design subjects; students who do not obtain equal scores in all subjects will not pass the entrance examinations to SU and CU. This segment of the population is “very interesting for us,” says Dean Sansern, “and many of our successful alumni come from this group of students”, hinting at their high potential to be developed into creative minds.70 In the Bangkok art education market, BU represents a “contemporary” alternative to students who are not equipped with basic skills but are eager to develop an artistic mind, “… students can pursue the basic graphic skill of drawing and painting in their free time”.71 This, however, may conversely result in a greater challenge for the academic 69 Interview with CU Dean Suppakorn Disatapundhu, dated October 29, 2010— Appendix. According to Dean Suppakorn, to comply with QA, the staff-to-student ratio should not exceed 1 to 12. 70 Interview with Dean Sansern Milandesuta, dated December 1, 2010—Appendix. 71 Ibid. 63 staff, since they have to work harder to improve the overall academic level of the students. The cost of the four-year programme at BU is about THB 40,000, four times that at SU or CU, resulting in a further definition of BU’s niche market of the smaller and wealthier segment of the Thai population. Grooming and supporting the students. BU students are given the opportunity to show their works from the second year onwards in the campus art galleries (mainly at the Rangist campus since BUG is dedicated to academic staff and external artists). They are also encouraged to find alternative spaces to show their works and to provide the overall logistics for the events. The main goal of the Visual Art department is to produce “high-quality students”72, and to encourage them towards involvement in related fields such as criticism and curatorship. To enhance these options, BU started the Brand New Project in 2003. This is a major platform, developed so far only by BU and originally developed for BU art students but now opened to art students from all universities in Bangkok. Brand New Project is a platform where six young artists, newly graduated, are selected to show their works.73 In 2010 the project was exhibited in various locations including BUG, the Art Centre (Chulalongkorn University art centre) and private/commercial galleries. Students not only perform as artists but also as art critics and curators.74 This project is a real alternative to other art competitions at the national level, which are historically geared towards a specific segment of the art fields. BU students do not generally participate in national art competitions; 72 Ibid. Chiefly by art critic Ark Fongsmut, curator at BUG. 74 Dean Sansern plans to implement the art theories course, which is currently a major only in SU, in the art curriculum of BU. 73 64 “maybe it [the work featured at national competitions] is not the kind of work that we want [to produce],” says Dean Sansern, hinting that BU’s intention is to achieve a sophisticated conceptual approach to the artwork regardless of its purely aesthetic and skilful execution. Table 3.4 BU Visual Art programme CURRENT DEAN Prof Sansern Milandesuta DEPARTMENTS IN THE SCHOOL OF FINE AND APPLIED ARTS Interior Design, Communicati on, Fashion, and Visual Art VISUAL ART MAJORS— NUMBER OF ACADEMIC STAFF Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Photography , and Mixed Media—9 full-time lecturers LAST REVISION OF CURRICULUM 2010; the curriculum is revised every five years. COURSE DURATION AND COST 4 years; approx. THB 34,000 per term NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED PER YEAR 300 to 400 per year divided into the four departments ; 40 students are allocated each year for the Visual Art department FUNDING Tuition fees 3.3 Preliminary Conclusions Close analysis of the three universities reveals diversity in their education approach. Furthermore, a diverse mission and philosophy fostered by each institution match their heterogeneous art curriculum, at an even more fundamental level. 65 Table 3.5 Visual Art programmes—the three universities combined CURRENT DEAN SU Dean Parinya Tantisuk DEPARTMENTS IN THE SCHOOL OF FINE AND APPLIED ARTS VISUAL ART MAJORS— NUMBER OF ACADEMIC STAFF PSG Faculty: Sculpture—8 Sculpture Painting—8 Painting Printmaking —8 Printmaking Thai Art Mixed Media (added in 2009) Art Theories Thai Art—10 Mixed Media—5 Sculpture—2 CU Dean Dance Painting—2 Suppakorn Disatapundhu Design Printmaking —2 Interior Design BU Dean Sansern Milandesuta Communicati on Fashion Visual Art (added in 1995) COURSE DURATION AND COST 2007 (Previously revised in 1995; next revision in 2012) 5 years, Approx. THB 10,000 per term NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED PER YEAR FUNDING 110 Government Art Theories—8 Music Visual Art LAST REVISION OF CURRICULUM 4 years, 1982 (Next revision in 2012) Intermedia— 2 Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Photography, and Mixed Media—9 full-time lecturers 2010; the curriculum is revised every five years. Approx. THB 10,000 per term 4 years, Approx. THB 34,000 per term 110, of which 30 students are allocated to the Visual Art department 300 to 400 per year divided into the four departments; 40 students are allocated to the Visual Art department Government —80% Tuition fees—20% Tuition fees 66 Education Approach SU was the first art school to be founded in Thailand. Since its founding, SU has been the only university in Bangkok to propound a fiveyear art curriculum, which is not updated regularly. The last de facto update was carried out in 1995. The course is subdivided into five majors: Sculpture, Painting, Printmaking, Thai Art, Art Theories and Mixed Media (added in 2009). The core subjects from the first year onwards are drawing, painting, composition, sculpture, printmaking and traditional Thai art, out of which the students will select their major. In keeping with its policy and political heritage, SU enhances the national identity of the students by both the implementation of Thai art subjects and the students’ involvement in communities. However, the university is now facing challenges to maintain its own position in Bangkok’s art education market due to the increasing number of younger and newer education alternatives. This has brought SU to reinforce its 66-year-old mission and philosophy (instead, perhaps, of revising it) to highlight, once again, its uniqueness in the Thai art education market. CU’s founding of the Visual Art department, within the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, was the result of a “non-Silpakorn” experience. It came to being in the 1980s as an alternative to the SU-monopolised art education market. CU propounds a four-year curriculum, which is not updated regularly. The de facto curriculum stands, virtually unchanged, since the founding of the Visual Art department in 1982. The latter is divided into four majors: Sculpture, Painting, Printmaking and Intermedia. The focus of the curriculum is on general education and basic skills from 67 the first to the third year. Thai art subjects are carried out only in the second year, whereas Intermedia, CU’s strongest major, is introduced in the third year when students choose their elective majors. One of the strengths of the curriculum, in keeping with the university’s goals, is its commitment to equal opportunities for a variety of students, regardless of their basic education. This bears consequences on CU’s art education identity, never clearly fostered in the Visual Art department. The lack of identity seems to have jeopardised in recent years the success of their art programme. Current CU Dean Suppakorn 75 is farsighted and all for changing this perception. However, to this day, few students enrol in the Visual Art department and even fewer become full-fledged artists. BU was founded in the 1990s by Thai magnate, artist and art collector Mr Surat Osathanugrah. BU is, in its own right, the product of capitalism in the etymological sense, that is, the owner of the university is its only sponsor. This makes BU a burden-free—politically and historically—institution. BU propounds a four-year curriculum, which is updated every five years. The last de facto update was in 2010. The programme is divided into five main areas: painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and mixed media. Selection of any major is not required. The strength of the BU curriculum is the flexibility allowed to students in developing their creativity and critical understanding of the artwork. In keeping with the university’s goals, the department’s philosophy of providing the basic vocabulary of the art language and developing its concept is paramount in enhancing the art-making process. 75 He has served in this position since 2009. The previous two deans were re-elected twice each, covering a 16-year period. 68 Since the opening of the Visual Art department in 1995, BU has generated a substantial number of artists who are recognised on the national and international levels. BU has also been the purveyor of an important art platform, Brand New Project, improving the visibility of students’ artworks, and thus initiating a discourse—the only one so far—on twenty-first century Thai contemporary art. Professors and Students SU is a “Beaux-Art” school designed very much based on the European style. By reason of its prestige, most of the old and recent alumni tend to remain in the school as academic members.76 However, in recent years SU has shown an increasing interest in employing academic members from other universities. SU’s accomplished professors are matched by equally art-savvy students at PSG. Historically, with respect to art students, the selection to enter SU is still considered very strict. Now, due to the in loco examination, up to 50 percent of the new students do not have an art background. This seems to produce a relative dwindle in figurative skills, in revenge prompting a more interdisciplinary approach. Overall, SU is likely to produce artists with higher basic skills, due to the selection process and curriculum. However, due to a limited exposure on conceptual practices, the students seem to encounter difficulties in developing a critical approach to art-making. Based on the exposure to 76 About 70 percent of the staff is from the former alumni, some as young as in the 20s. 69 Thai art subjects—compulsory throughout the five years—students are likely to master Thai vernacular themes and mediums proficiently. Also, they are likely to produce work involving communal themes and preoccupations since their course requires social commitment and national duties. CU, since its founding in the 1980s, has encouraged academic recruitment from other institutions in Thailand and internationally. However, around 70 percent of the academic staff is former alumni and not refreshed by the addition of newly graduated artists, as in the case of SU. This indicates that new artists might pursue the academic path at other universities where the art education identity is more clearly manifested and the art curriculum is stronger. The never-revised curriculum has a bearing on the number of students admitted yearly to the department. The maximum intake of 30 students is barely reached in recent times. This forces CU to mitigate the selection process, which is done by National Quota and the in loco examination. In keeping with CU policy of providing equal opportunities to all students, both selection methods allow for the admission of students with no art background. Overall, CU is likely to produce artists with lower figurative skills and execution abilities than those emerging from SU. This is due to 1) the selection process being geared to a wider student population with no art background; 2) stagnant teaching staff not replenished by new blood; and 3) lack of clear direction of the curriculum. The now-obsolete curriculum was on the contrary quite radical in the 80s since it incorporated the Intermedia major, at the time not enlisted in other art curricula. By direct 70 consequence, the artists who graduated in the 1980s and 90s were likely to be those who benefited most from the alternative techniques and conceptual work developed then. Conversely, students graduating today are likely to lack substantial training that enables them to populate the Thai art scene, as shown by the diminishing number in student intake. BU’s initiative to found the Visual Art department was pursued by the current dean, Prof Sansern, and board members in a move to select and shape the curriculum in accordance with local as well as international patterns. What BU offers today is a heterogeneous cohort of established professors, mainly SU and CU graduates and themselves practicing artists. A point to note: the first generation of artists who graduated from CU Visual Art department77 are the very ones who campaigned for the founding of BU Visual Art department. Currently, national and international lecturers constitute the academic body, which is geared to train non-art savvy students. Mostly, students who have not succeeded in enrolling in prestigious public art schools enter BU by the in loco examination. Overall, BU is likely to produce students with a strong creative and critical understanding of art. This is due to the contemporary bent the school has towards art-making, and hence the focus of the curriculum’s core subjects, which are constantly updated; as a result, students are likely to show proficiency in technical skills, however, lacking the traditional ones. 77 Dean Sansern Milandesuta and Prof Thanet Awisinsiri, to mention but a few. 71 4. COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF THE ART EDUCATION BACKGROUNDS OF THE SIX SELECTED ARTISTS 4.1 Introduction In Chapter 1, the researcher introduces the case study methodology for the selection of the artists. After screening a number of options, six artists (two from each university) meet the following criteria: 1. Participation in Traces of Siamese Smile exhibition 2. BFA graduation from 2000 onwards1 These artists are: • Chusak Srikwan and Anupong Chanton from the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Design at SU, • Wit Pimkanchanapong from the Faculty of Architecture at CU2, • Montri Toesomabt from the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts (Visual Art department) at CU, and • Yuree Kensaku and Pornatweesak Rimsakul from the School of Fine and Applied Arts (Visual Art department) at BU. In this chapter, each artist is apprehended individually in order to address some of the research questions stated in Chapter 1: • What role does the curriculum play on the future practice of the graduates? 1 Both of these artists graduated in 1998. Also, they are the only two artists to meet at least two of the three criteria. 2 Although Wit Pimkanchanapong graduated at the Faculty of Architecture, he is the only CU artist, besides Montri Toemsombat, to partly meet the criteria. 72 • What are the more common trends and methodologies in the practice of twenty-first century Thai artists? As indicated in the table below, the artists graduated at different times of the last decade and also differ in their artistic practice. Table 4.1 Artists’ education background UNIVERSITY YEAR OF GRADUATION MAJOR Chusak Srikwan SU 2006 Thai Art Anupong Chanton SU 2004 Thai Art Wit Pimkanchanapong CU 1992 (the year Wit started university) Architecture Montri Toemsomabt CU 1998 Intermedia Yuree Kensaku BU 2002 NIL Pornatweesak Rimsakul BU 2002 NIL 4 3 Both artists from CU do not have a fine arts background. More on this topic is elaborated in the Critical Appraisal section of this chapter. 4 As indicated in the previous chapter, BU does not require the selection of a major. This is also the uniqueness of its curriculum. 73 3 4.2 Artists’ Case Studies5 Chusak Srikwan Choice of university and impact on the artist’s practice. Artist Chusak Srikwan was born in Songkla, Thailand, in 1983 and was the only student from his region to be selected by SU. He obtained his BFA in 2006 with a major in Thai Art. Chusak’s choice of university was dictated by his interest in Thai traditional art: “SU has always had a strong reputation in terms of art, so since the beginning I specifically decided to attend the Thai Art department within PSG.”6 He settled on Thai Art major in the third year, after having complied with the compulsory skill-focused courses. In the fourth and fifth years, students are allowed to develop their own works, based on the figurative courses they have previously attended. This is the key quality Chusak envisions in SU curriculum: the “strong (artistic) history continually developed for more then 60 years”7, and deeply embedded in the culture and philosophy of the university. During his time at SU, Chusak felt that all the subjects including composition and drawing contributed to his artistic development and proficiently helped him to shape his practice. SU aims to develop the experience and quality of the students by “strengthening their graphic skills,” says Chusak, who strongly supports the legacy—knowledge and artistic practice—of the academic members. The experience of working 5 The transcripts of the interviews with Chusak Srikwan, Anupong Chanton, Wit Pimkanchanapong, Montri Toemsombat, Yuree Kensaku, and Porntaweesak Rimsakul, as well as the artists’ biographies can be found in the appendix. 6 Interview with Chusak Srikwan, dated February 1, 2011—Appendix. 7 Ibid. 74 with his peers and professors helped him to develop his creative process, which eventually led him to use a traditional iconography thus translated to a contemporary language. When Chusak was asked to comment on SU, CU and BU, he claimed that all three universities differ from one another, having their own characters much like the individual artist. However, what makes the three universities equal is their shared intent to develop the Thai contemporary art scene by achieving international recognition. Other influential elements. Chusak’s practice since graduation revolves around the use of a vernacular medium (leather) through a vernacular iconography (shadow puppets), yet addressing contemporary issues. 8 He works mostly by himself in keeping with the tradition of southern Thailand puppetry, creating dramatic and aesthetically engaging works.9 Chusak claims that his major influence is his family: his great grandfather was a traditional craftsman; his father was a traditional Thai painter. Since he died, when Chusak was still young, he has lived his father’s work through the images left behind at home or in local temples. Incidentally, it was his grandmother who often took him, as a child, to traditional puppet shows. Used for the longest time as a tool for political propaganda, Thai traditional puppetry historically addresses social and religious themes.10 Similarly, Chusak in his practice cites contemporary social and political 8 This aspect of his work will be analysed in the last section of this chapter—Common Themes and Methodologies. 9 His way of working is very close to the old craftsmanship traditions. As he says, even the joints of the leather parts are like those of bones, according to tradition. 10 Another Thai contemporary artist who uses puppetry in his practice to convey political themes is Vasan Sitthiket. 75 issues as one of his main sources of inspiration, especially in his most recent work.11 In addition to family and societal influence, Chusak believes that the older generation of artists play an important role in his work. Looking at the senior model inspires “hard work, continuations and development of creative progress”.12 In his view, breaking away from the practice of senior artists (as in the case of some young practitioners) is in itself a demonstration of what can be learnt from them before deciding to take a step further. A final note for consideration is the role of the commercial art market. In Thailand, he says, patronage and sponsorship are still elements around which the art world revolves. However, the Thai audience, still interested in aesthetically pleasing—bordering on decorative—works, is not yet ready for a contemporary understanding of art, bearing consequences on the art practice. Currently, Chusak is a lecturer at SU and a full-time artist. 11 This is Chusak’s debut solo show at BUG in 2006, the Brand New Project discussed in the previous chapter. The generous gallery space allowed him to install carved leather puppets of several metres high. His most recent show was held in 2010 at Ardel Gallery (mentioned in Chapter 3). This show featured works with a stronger political inclination. See Steven Pettifor, “Chusak Srikwan at Ardel Gallery of Modern Art” in Asian Art News 20, 5 (2010). 12 Interview with Chusak Srikwan, dated February 1, 2011—Appendix. 76 Figure 4.1 Chusak Srikwan, Free Form Avaricious is a Precious Blessing, 2009, leather carving, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist. 77 Anupong Chanton13 Choice of university and impact on the artist’s practice. Artist Anupong Chanton was born in Prachinburi province, south of Thailand, in 1980. He received his art education at SU where in 2007 he obtained his BFA with a major in Thai Art. Anupong decided to apply at SU for a number of reasons. First and foremost, he feels that SU is a wellrecognised university in Thailand, where fame and knowledge are preserved and continued by established professors, themselves accomplished artists. As with Chusak, Anupong remarks that the overall atmosphere of the school, very much in keeping with traditional education, greatly contributes to the inspiration and development of the students’ creative minds. In his opinion, the highly competitive reputation of this institution bestows its uniqueness. The entrance examination is extremely strict and focuses on a number of subjects for which students have to train independently for years if they want to succeed. SU is “the most soughtafter university” 14 ; its reputation is the main attraction to the younger generation of students (similarly, the previous chapter discusses how the university’s reputation also operates as incentive among the students to become academic members). Despite sculpture being his first interest, Anupong eventually decided to major in Thai Art, where he felt he could express his interest for traditional themes yet applying them to contemporary Thailand. When Anupong was asked to comment on SU, 13 This section is based chiefly on the interview with Anupong Chanton, dated February 13, 2011. See Appendix for the transcript and artist’s biography. 14 Interview with Anupong Chanton, dated February 13, 2011—Appendix. 78 CU and BU he claimed that all three universities are trying to keep up with current art education, “… it depends though on which one runs faster,”15 implying a competitive understanding of the education market. A final remark: Anupong considers the low tuition fee to be the best thing at SU: “CU is for the nobles, BU is for the rich kids, and SU is for the peasants.”16 Other influential elements. Anupong’s main practice revolves around traditional figurative paintings based on Buddhist teachings and beliefs. Buddhist predicaments, good and evil, light and darkness are familiar themes, he claims, in Thai society. Hence, through his work Anupong aims to be as informative to his audience as mural paintings are in Thai temples.17 However, despite the choice of vernacular topics, he has recently been defined one of the most controversial artist in contemporary Thailand.18 His countryside upbringing is the main source of inspiration for his art practice as well as the older generation of artists, towards whom, he claims, junior artists have to look. It is only by studying the older generation that “we can find new artistic possibilities in terms of artworks and aesthetic,” 19 implying that learning to be an artist and defining one’s own art practice can only be possible if it is framed by a historical context. Sadly, he adds, “… art history and aesthetic is often overlooked by Thai society and government,” so it is up to the individual artists and institutions to cultivate the understanding of contemporary art. 15 Ibid. Interview with Anupong Chanton, dated February 13, 2011—Appendix. 17 This aspect of his work is analysed in the final paragraph of this chapter— Common Themes and Methodologies. 18 In the 53rd National Art Exhibition, Anupong was questioned and criticised for using Buddhist imagery in an iconoclastic way. Buss araporn Tongchai, Hope in the Dark exhibition catalogue (Bangkok: Ardel Gallery, 2011). 19 Interview with Anupong Chanton, dated February 13, 2011—Appendix. 16 79 A final note for consideration is the role of the patronage system in Thailand today. “Yes,” Anupong says, “patronage is still very important.”20 It is difficult to survive as a full-time artist since support from the government is limited, so private sponsorship and patronage become real players in the art industry. Anupong is currently teaching in the Fine Art department at King Mongkut University and is a full-time artist. Figure 4.2 Anupong Chanton, Moral Boundary, 2009, pen on paper, 98 × 68 cm. Image courtesy of Ardel Gallery, Bangkok. 20 Ibid. 80 Wit Pimkanchanapong21 Choice of university and impact on the artist’s practice. In 1992 artist Wit Pimkanchanapong decided to attend CU Faculty of Architecture.22 At that point his academic interest was completely removed from art, and the faculty of Architecture at CU was well known for being one of the best in this field. It was in his second year that Wit was gradually drawn towards the graphic and aesthetic quality of artistic expression. However, when asked how influential his architectural studies have been on his art practice Wit says, “I would go back to CU to study architecture,”23 adding that learning and acquiring a sensibility towards the idea of space and time is very important; it builds the artist/architect perception of what a space is capable of and how to optimise it. Eventually, his architectural studies trained his mind and creative process in view of his future practice as a multi-disciplinary artist. Attractive, engaging and technically sophisticated, Wit’s work seem to balance graphic and figurative elements.24 Interestingly, on how he feels in relation to SU and BU, Wit thinks that SU should stay as it is. It should not change but provide the “other [traditional] energy”25 as it has done for the last 60 years. He deems it very 21 This section is chiefly based on the interview with Wit Pimkanchanapong, dated February 2, 2011. See Appendix for the transcript and the artist’s biography. 22 He never completed the programme as he was kicked out at one point for not meeting the requirements that he felt restricted his freedom in creating the projects he wanted. He did, however, return to CU to partly complete his commitment with the school. Interview with Wit Pimkanchanapong, dated February 2, 2011—Appendix. 23 Interview with Wit Pimkanchanapong, dated February 2, 2011—Appendix. 24 This aspect of his work will be analysed in the last section of this chapter—Common Themes and Methodologies. 25 Ibid. 81 important to have the fundamentals in art education, much like that propounded by SU. BU, however, is a younger institution (even younger then CU) with an art programme based on a contemporary approach to graphic arts and design. BU has the ability to stick with contemporary times, not bearing the same baggage as SU. In his perspective, both BU and CU cater to a specific crowd of students: … City boys … they are born and they have the iPhone. They have toys. They have video games and…have interest in many, many things. They use the Internet, whatever, but there is a lot of people in Thailand who live their lives very slowly. They are able to focus on certain things, to paint, …their life is completely different from that in the city.26 Other influential elements. His residencies and studies abroad have greatly helped him in refining his eye for the breadth of Thai culture. He remarks that since the early days in school, students have been constantly drilled in expressing their own “Thai-ness”. This, he feels, is something embedded in Thai culture, to this day, but is very difficult to express in a statement or an object. In his view, students exasperated by the pressure of meeting this requirement are drawn to leave the country to experience the “other … to be westernised”.27 He acknowledges, though, the wealth of its own culture and adds that it is important to look back at Thai art and craft and to understand and learn from previous artists like Montien, “[one of the few 26 27 Ibid. Ibid. 82 artists] able to negotiate very well between the new works and traditional Thai elements ...”28 Other substantial influences on art practice today are, in his opinion, patronage and the art market. In Wit’s case patronage comes from private companies and shopping malls. They allocate a considerable budget for his “interior design” projects and with that Wit manages to express his creativity and artistic mind. “I have something to say to society,” Wit adds, “I don’t care if this is art or graphic design … the important thing is that I express myself,” by producing an extremely versatile and fragmented body of work, “one day I jump into the conceptual, another day into engineering.”29 Yet, when it comes to the art market Wit “does not feel very comfortable” in selling his work. “When you decide to sell your work it means the work is dead,”30 there is no need to add or change anything, it is more than completed; it is dead as nothing can be done to it. Currently, Wit is a full-time artist. He has been asked to start the School of Product Design next year at CU, and he adds, “… if I was asked, I would like to teach at SU … it is simply more challenging.”31 28 Interview with Wit Pimkanchanapong, dated February 2, 2011—Appendix. Ibid. 30 Ibid. 31 Ibid. Wit feels that teaching in a historically skill-focused university would present him the challenge of training the students on a conceptual level. 29 83 Figure 4.3 Wit Pimkanchanapong, Not Quite A Total Eclipse, 2009, mixed media installation, dimensions variable. Collection of the Singapore Art Museum. 84 Montri Toemsombat32 Choice of university and impact on the artist’s practice. In 1994 artist Montri Toemsombat entered the Visual Art department at CU. Coming from the north-eastern province of Chaiyaphum in Thailand, he was selected to study at CU in virtue of the numerous art awards he had received during his school years. Before that he says, “I didn't know anything about the art institutes or universities in Thailand.”33 Believing in “destiny”, he left the countryside and rural upbringing to enrol at CU where he undertook his studies with artists and professors Kamol Pahosavasdi and Montien Boonma. The university manifested itself as the “transitional place” 34 in Montri’s career, allowing him to progressively move from his own regional roots to his future artistic practice. Through the visual art curriculum and his mentors’ experience he learnt to freely express his individual language and to develop the artwork based on a newly acquired self-confidence. This, he claims, allowed him to “find a great trust in his [artistic] life”35 and to grow from there. He also feels the university was supportive in connecting the students to contemporary society. This, he says, was achieved through the use of CU galleries and art spaces as platforms to promote the students’ work to Thai society. Artworks are eventually judged by the society through a set of “mental criteria”. What art does is to challenge those criteria by “leading to 32 This section is chiefly based on the interview with Montri Toemsombat, dated November 30, 2011. See Appendix for the transcript and the artist’s biography. 33 Interview with Montri Toemsombat, dated November 30, 2011—Appendix. 34 Ibid. 35 Ibid. 85 and reflecting reality”.36 In response to how he feels in relation to SU and BU, Montri prefers not to comment, saying that he is not comfortable expressing his opinion. Other influential elements. Montri’s artistic practice revolves mainly around installation, performance, sculpture, photography and video art. Although his approach to art is often framed by a conceptual discourse, developed during his studies at CU, he pulls most of his motifs from his upbringing: nature and his home village. “I come from a marketless village in north-eastern Thailand where we produce most of the basic necessities that we consume, so there is no reason for excess.”37 This contrasts starkly with the reality he faced after migrating to Bangkok for his studies. As early as his undergraduate years, he embarked on his first project Natural-born Consumer, elaborating on the world of the privileged youth tacked in the buzzing shopping area of Silom-Bangkok where CU is located. Montri’s main intention is to convey to the audience his personal feelings (pain, angst, humour etc) drawn from his life experience and reflect his perception of Buddhist harmony among life, culture and nature38, hence his use of Thai iconography, such as rice, silk, monks’ robes, the farming buffalo etc, to link his rural past to the present consumerist society. Adding to this, the older generation of artists set the 36 Ibid. Steven Pettifor, Flavours—Thai Contemporary Art (Bangkok: Thavibu Gallery Ltd, Amarin Printing Company, 2003). 38 This aspect of his work will be analysed in the last section of this chapter—Common Themes and Methodologies. 37 86 example and reference for his work. “We learn from each other,”39 he adds in terms of developing and rendering the art concept, hinting to the mutual, vernacular relation between master and student. One of the more influential elements, Montri adds, is patronage, “needed wherever art exists”. However, his understanding of patronage is not intended as financial support, which may limit the artist’s creativity, but rather as a mentoring and guiding role to whom “can appreciate and understand art”.40 Eventually, what he wants to induce through his work is the audience’s sharing and exchanging of experiences. This is the “value and beauty of art”. 41 Currently, Montri is a full-time artist; he lives in Bangkok and Lyon. Figure 4.4 Thai Freedom, 2008, C-print, 100 × 130 cm. Image courtesy of 100 Tonson Gallery. 39 40 41 Interview with Montri Toemsombat, dated November 30, 2011—Appendix. Ibid. Ibid. 87 Yuree Kensaku42 Choice of university and impact on the artist’s practice. ThaiJapanese artist Yuree Kensaku graduated from BU in 2002 after undertaking her BFA in the Visual Art department. Since the beginning of her academic career she has always been interested in art programmes that allow freedom of visual expression. BU seemed to be the right university, offering a rather “experimental” approach to art education. Throughout the entire undergraduate programme the university was “very open”43 in providing learning alternatives, for instance, in terms of external lecturers invited by the university to teach and discuss their art practice with the students. In addition, BU professors emphasise among students the “thinking” process, which in time leads to the final execution of the artwork. When she was asked whether she would choose the same university again Yuree says, “Yes, I would go back to BU,”44 implying that this type of educational experience fulfilled her need to discover and experiment with a variety of artistic methods and techniques in order to achieve her individual language. Cartoonish and able to interact with the audience on contemporary social concerns, her works are first and foremost graphically strong.45 42 This section is chiefly based on the interview with Yuree Kensaku, dated January 18, 2011. See Appendix for the transcript and the artist’s biography. 43 Interview with Yuree Kensaku, dated January 18, 2011—Appendix. 44 Ibid. 45 This aspect of his work will be analysed in the last section of this chapter—Common Themes and Methodologies. 88 Graphic design was the career she wanted to pursue when she first joined the university. Because of that Yuree says, “I never thought to go to SU.”46 She feels the works produced by SU students go in a direction she does not want to follow. SU is a “fine art academy”47 where the focus on the skills is paramount. However, when asked to comment on both CU and SU, Yuree does not want to make assumptions or judgements as she feels she is unfamiliar with their educational systems. Other influential elements. Yuree’s artistic practice revolves around paintings and mixed media installations. Throughout her artistic career she has experimented with a variety of alternative mediums, though always staying true to her own particular style. Memory, family and social environment are the main engines that drive her creative inspiration. “Imagination is like a special key to rooms that allows us to transfuse frustration, rearrange meaning.” 48 Indeed, she pulls most of her visual motifs from her childhood and family experience. Miniature toys, animals, individuals and random objects are scattered everywhere in her canvases, reminding the audience of their own childhood. As to what role the senior artists play she says, “we [younger ones] can learn different skills, ideas and perspectives,”49 alluding to them as a reference point for the junior artists to take before moving away and into their own practice. “I believe my work can be just images of fantasy or they 46 Interview with Yuree Kensaku, dated January 18, 2011—Appendix. Ibid. 48 Thanet Awisiri, Love in Platinum Frame exhibition catalogue (Bangkok: The Art Centre, Chulalongkorn University, 2007). 49 Interview with Yuree Kensaku, dated January 18, 2011—Appendix. 47 89 can be paintings full of imaginations.” 50 Currently, Yuree is a full-time artist, occasionally lecturing at BU and other universities. Figure 4.5 Yuree Kensaku, Whirpool, 2010, acrylic and collage on canvas, 181 × 130 cm. Image courtesy of 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok. 50 Yuree Kensaku, It’s Spiritually Good exhibition catalogue (Bangkok: 100 Tonson Gallery, 2005). 90 Porntaweesak Rimsakul51 Choice of university and impact on the artist’s practice. Artist Porntaweesak Rimsakul obtained his BFA in 2002 from BU and went on to further his studies at SU where he received his MA in Painting. Porntaweesak comes from Udorn Thani province of Thailand where his parents have set up a family business. Yet, his interest has always been that of attending art school in Bangkok. The choice went to BU as it provided him with a curriculum that was open to experimentation with a variety of mediums and techniques. He adds, while interviewed, that BU was a pivotal learning experience, for it allowed him to get in touch with national and international lecturers who are regularly invited to discuss new techniques, practices and ideas among students. Another distinguishing feature of the university, in Porntaweesak’s view, is the opportunity it offers to travel overseas for students’ exchange programmes. BU takes effort to promote the students’ work and elevate their confidence through exhibitions held in the campuses and alternative spaces. Also, with the Brand New Project, BU students have the opportunity to be featured on national art platforms and to initiate a discourse on younger art practitioners. When asked whether he would choose BU again Porntaweesak says, “Yes, I found in BU ways to freely explore my creativity,”52 hinting to the experimental approach the school takes in training the students to develop their own language. Despite the 51 This section is chiefly based on the interview with Porntaweesak Rimsakul, dated January 18, 2011. See Appendix for the transcript and the artist’s biography. 52 Interview with Porntaweesak Rimsakul, dated January 18, 2011—Appendix. 91 fact that he attended SU for his MA, Porntaweesak does not feel comfortable, during the interview, to compare the three universities. Other influential elements. Porntaweesak’s oeuvre revolves around mixed media and kinetic installations. The use of toys and other disparate objects (such as gasoline nozzles in his latest show) adds a flavour of playfulness and humour to the main aim of the work, that of reflecting social concerns closer to the hearts of the younger generation.53 Porntaweesak’s childhood is one of the influential elements in his practice: “In the world of toys and play, everything is possible if we understand the logic behind their use of space.”54 The toys, pulled from his own memory or newly created, have the ability to captivate the audience in their playful, off-guard mode. Mostly personal, Porntaweesak’s references are intimately embedded in his artistic language. For instance, the tribute to his family business, a gas station in the outskirts of Bangkok, is evident in his latest works all based on the idea of transforming energy into body movement. Several gas nozzles, assembled in the shape of a chandelier or waterspout, physically engage the audience “to see, consider, touch, feel, and be a part of an energy source”.55 “A good combination between material and ideas” 56 is the core preoccupation of Porntaweesak’s artworks, denying any reference to the 53 This aspect of his work will be analysed in the last section of this chapter—Common Themes and Methodologies. 54 Chol Janepraphaphan, Hybrid Technology exhibition catalogue (Bangkok: 100 Tonson Gallery, 2010). 55 Thaweesak Srithongdee, Hybrid Technology exhibition catalogue (Bangkok: 100 Tonson Gallery, 2010). 56 Interview with Porntaweesak Rimsakul, dated January 18, 2011—Appendix. 92 senior generation of artists. “The personal idea” is what prompts the artist to producing a new work regardless of the model presented by the senior practitioners. However, he quickly adds, mutual criticism can be helpful in sharing and comparing the old and the new. Ultimately, he says, “… we cannot use the word ‘good’ or ‘bad’ to judge an artwork ... [what matters is] the creative thinking [of the artist].”57 Porntaweesak is a full-time artist. He lives and works in Udorn Thani, and helps in his family business. Figure 4.6 Porntaweesak Rimsakul, Dinosaurs, 2009, teapots and mechanical wheels, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok. 4.3 Common Themes and Methodologies: Preliminary Conclusions Further to the comparative studies on the art background of the six selected artists, some provisional conclusions can be drawn as to which are the most recurrent themes and preoccupations of young art practitioners in twenty-first century Thailand. 58 To facilitate the 57 Interview with Porntaweesak Rimsakul, dated January 18, 2011—Appendix. To be noted that this is a generalization based on the population analysed in this paper, that is, the six selected artists. The researcher is aware that exceptions and finer connections, at historical and social levels, can be made throughout these 58 93 identification of these trends, the researcher has outlined three main categories: • Spirituality: expressed through religious iconography or alluded in the artworks as harmony and respect for the other; • Interactive works: expressed through kinetic and active works, which may involve the intervention of the audience; and • Interest in non-national concerns: expressed through a more intimate and/or playful approach to visual communication. Thai artists throughout modern and contemporary days have broadly used similar visual threads. The concept of Spirituality, for instance, or “moral choice” as offered by Iola Lenzi, embeds profoundly in the works of several senior Thai artists.59 Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook in her 2002 video work Thai Medley significantly grapples with themes of solidarity and death based on the concept of community and spiritualism. Figure 4.7 Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Thai Medley, 2002, video still. Collection of the Singapore Art Museum. themes. However, for the purpose of this study, such groupings help to clarify the structure and the understanding of the topic. 59 See Iola Lenzi, “Negotiating Home, History and Nation”, in Negotiating Home, History and Nation exhibition catalogue (Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, 2011). 94 The idea of producing interactive works has also been historically approached by a number of Thai contemporary artists. The 2000 installation History Class (Thanon Ratchadamnoen) by Sutee Kunavichayanont is an example where the artist uses familiar objects (school desks) retrieved from public spaces (school classrooms), and reinterpreted for the communitarian and active involvement of all audiences.60 Figure 4.8 Sutee Kunavichayanont, History Class (Thanon Ratchadamnoen), 2000, desks installation, dimensions variable. Collection of the Singapore Art Museum. What becomes evident with the younger generation of artists is their preoccupation to produce artworks that can communicate to Asian and non-Asian audiences alike. Hence, the tendency to add high-technology strategies in their visual narrative, as in the case of artists Wit Pimkanchanapong and Porntaweesak Rimsakul, to physically engage the audiences or, as in the case of artists Yuree Kensaku and Montri Toemsombat, to develop an artistic language based on universally 60 The artist used hand-carved school desks to involve all audiences in reclaiming the ownership over “forgotten” history. See Iola Lenzi, Inflated Nostalgia exhibition catalogue (Singapore: Atelier Frank & Lee, 2001), reprinted in Next Move exhibition catalogue (Singapore: LaSalle, 2003). 95 understood concerns such as alienation, social relations and materialistic supremacy. Spirituality. Thai visual art was traditionally based on the representation of religious images, primarily Buddhist, prominently portrayed in temples and architecture. It is important to remember that in pre-modern Thailand art education was mainly conducted in temples and centred on the reinforcement of cultural ideology and Buddhism.61 Figure 4.9 A depiction of a white elephant in nineteenth-century Thai art, artist unknown. From religious representations of Lord Buddha‘s life on the walls of most temples around Thailand to current criticism of the Sangha 62 , Thai Buddhism is investigated by a large number of artists throughout modern and contemporary times. An example of the controversial approach to religious issues is the socially engaged art practice by senior artist Vasan 61 Apinan Poshyananda, Modern Art in Thailand (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992). 62 In the seminal show Traditions and Tension Prof Apinan talks extensively of the decadence of a “pure” Thai Buddhist society and yet the relevance of Buddhism within the definition of Thai-ness. Apinan, Poshyananda, “Contemporary Thai Art: Nationalism and Sexuality a la Thai”, in Traditions and Tensions exhibition catalogue (New York: Asian Art Society, 1996). 96 Sitthiket, who often tackles themes related to spirituality and “choice” in a consumerist culture.63 Figure 4.10 Vasan Sitthiket, War Against Capitalism, 2002, mixed media, 200 × 230 cm. Image courtesy of the artist. Undoubtedly, there is a widespread sentiment that Buddhist’s beliefs are on the verge of disappearing from everyday life, being replaced by individual interests and personal advantage. Against this sentiment, junior artists such as Chusak Srikwan and Anupong Chanton adopt Buddhist iconography in their oeuvre as a language easily recognisable and familiar to most Thais. In the Siamese Smile show presented at BACC in 2008, artist Chusak Srikwan creates aesthetically beautiful works representing mythological demons and angels pulled off Buddhist beliefs. Craft and local memory are core elements throughout Chusak’s oeuvre. Mostly based on the vernacular tradition of shadow puppetry, the artist produces engaging installations primarily based on leather carving thus translated in 63 Vasan Sitthiket is one of those senior artists who visually vocalises the resentment against capitalism and religion, personified by the Sangha , at the expenses of ordinary people. 97 contemporary language. Other Thai artists have employed shadow puppetry to convey social and political messages, as in the case of Vasan Sitthiket.64 Vasan, however, personifies the puppets in his highly political performances designed to shock the audience, whereas Chusak seems to meditate over his pieces in endless hours spent drawing, cutting and assembling the images. By doing so Chusak’s work reinforces the sense of belonging to the community and the continuation of local memories,65 which are fostered in the predominantly religious and mythological content of the puppets.66 Figure 4.11 Chusak Srikwan, Shadow-Play, 2008, leather carving, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist. 64 Vasan Sitthiket started puppet media in 2002. He has designed almost 200 characters from politicians, villagers, farmers to well-known figures like Bush, Gandhi, Hitler, Blair, Mao, Jesus Christ, Marx, Lenin etc. He composes stories around them and plays them with music. According to the artist’s e-mail exchange with the researcher, dated April 2, 2011. See also Iola Lenzi, Vip/un-Vip & other political tales Vasan Sitthiket solo exhibition (Singapore: Atelier Frank & Lee, 2003). 65 On the role of the community in Thai contemporary art, see Iola Lenzi, “Negotiating Home, History and Nation” in Negotiating Home, History and Nation, ed. Iola Lenzi (Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, 2011). 66 However, in his most recent show, held in 2010 at Ardel Gallery, Bangkok, Chusak featured works with a stronger political inclination. See Steven Pettifor, “Chusak Srikwan at Ardel Gallery of Modern Art” in Asian Art News 20, 5 (2010). 98 Equally theme-specific is artist Anupong Chanton who proficiently masters Buddhist motifs in his figurative paintings and throughout his sculptures. His whole practice revolves around the study and visual depiction of Lord Buddha’s preaching and people’s misconceptions of his predicaments. As in the sculptural installation Animal-Man Family, Anupong’s art practice aims to involve the audience in a meditative process by close representation of reality and daily life in the same ways, he says, as “religious mural paintings” have in Thai modern art history. Figure 4.12 Anupong Chanton, Animal-Man Family, 2010, bronze, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of Ardel Gallery, Bangkok. Themes such as religion, harmony, and community values are advanced also in Montri Toemsombat’s work. Often referring to the concept of harmony as “the essential factor bonding life, society, culture and 99 nature,”67 Montri’s work longs to address issues of contemporary society on national and international levels. For instance, in Reverie and Phantasm in the Epoch of Global Trauma, performed at the Venice Biennale in 2003, the artist responds to how the “West” sees Asia in a time of globalisation. Figure 4.13 Montri Toemsombat, Reverie and Phantasm in the Epoch of Global Trauma, 2003, performance, 50th Venice Biennale, Italy. 67 “Art beyond boundaries,” Bangkok Post, accessed April 4, 2011, http://www.bangkokpost.com/arts-and-culture/art/190871/art-beyond-boundaries. 100 Interactive works. Contemporary art is increasingly fostering the practice of pushing the audience away from passive contemplation of the artworks. Senior artists like Sutee Kunavichayanont or Pinaree Sanpitak had already initiated this approach in the 1990s via traditional or craftbased mediums.68 Figure 4.14 Pinaree Sanpitak, Noon-Nom, 2002, Thai silk cushion installation, dimensions variable. Collection of the Singapore Art Museum. The addition of digital or kinetic works is particular to twenty-first century art practitioners. Kamol Phaosavasdi started experimental media practices in the late 1990s in alternative spaces and projects that were emerging in those years.69 However, art critic and co-founder of Project 304, Gridthiya 68 See Iola Lenzi, “Breast Idiom”, in Breast and Beyond by Pinaree Sanpitak, Noon-Nom (Bangkok: Bangkok University Art Gallery, 2002). 69 Such as Project 304, founded, among others, by artists Montien Boonma, Kamol Phaosavasdi, Chatchai Puipia, Micheal Shoawanasai, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Prapon Kumjim, and art critic Gridthiya Gaweewong, who says, ”Project 304 is a nonprofit art space. It was founded in 1996 to support contemporary artistic and cultural activities through art exhibitions as well as media and time based works and events including the Bangkok Experimental Film Festival.” Project 304, accessed March 5, 2011, http://www.project304.info/. 101 Gaweewong, referred to those art practitioners as “a minority of artists, since the majority here [in Thailand] still focus on academic and formalist works …”70 This attitude seems to be changing: more and more artists are embracing new media, occasionally combining it with Thai vernacular language to create technically skilful, socially entertaining works. “New Media have broken through and there is now better acceptance to, and integration of, moving imagery. As a result it [art] has become more enriched and there are more dimensions to contemporary Thai art practice,” as Prof Apinan Poshyananda agrees.71 Whether translated in physical interaction or aimed at social engagement, new media works— based on computer-generated technology—allow the artist to engage the audience in prolonging or transforming the artworks. The advantage of using new media seems to be the international language that it carries. Computer-based works do not necessarily need a national root, often embracing a wider range of audiences and issues. Artist Wit Pimkanchanapong often uses new media such as computer-based installations and videos. His works combine the act of physically engaging the audience with an inner aesthetical attraction. Wit considers aestheticism—intended as sensitivity to artistic beauty—to be a fundamental quality of Thai modern and contemporary art and culture 70 Gridthiya Gaweewong, “Experimental Art in Thailand: Work in (a slow) Progress”, in Next Move exhibition catalogue (Singapore: LaSalle, 2003). 71 Steven Pettifor, A Fresh Face for Thai Art in an interview with Prof Apinan Poshyananda. Asian Art News, vol.18, 6 (2008). 102 adding, “We [Thais] make very beautiful things.”72 The assembled card ‘fruits’ produced for an installation titled Hide and Seek are computergenerated to re-create the spirit of a Thai wet market and, at the same time, reach out to Thai and non-Thai audiences alike. Figure 4.15 Wit Pimkanchanapong and Soi Project, Hide and Seek, 2009, Yokohama International Triennale of Contemporary Art. Image courtesy of the artist. Detail 72 Interview with Wit Pimkanchanapong, dated February 2, 2011—Appendix. 103 Artist Porntaweesak Rimsakul’s works mostly revolve around kinetic installations. His works may begin with the act of playing but move on to interact with the audience to transform and prolong the creative process. The use of toys and other disparate objects, such as remote-controlled soldiers’ helmets in the installation RGB War, enables the artist to add a flavour of playfulness and humour to the work thus embracing an international language. Figure 4.16 RGB’s War, 2006, remote-controlled soldiers’ helmets on painted wooden board, colours, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok. Interest in non-national concerns. Whether being strictly selfcentred or envisioning a wider social commitment, some young artists long to engage with the audience on contemporary concerns, such as alienation, sexuality, social relationships, materialistic supremacy, 104 reflecting the traits of a society caught in the midst of choosing between the old and the new, the local and the global.73 Yuree Kensaku’s canvases and mixed media installations are aesthetically and graphically attractive, and mostly related to her life experience and self-reflective take on reality. For instance the “stage” setup in Complicated Mountain alludes to the hierarchical nature of social relationships restrained by conventional ties and temptations.74 Yuree’s cartoonish approach allows for easy communication to Asian and nonAsian audiences alike, but it diminishes its connections in national historical value as it appears detached from a Thai-specific language. Figure 4.17 Complicated Mountain, 2011, acrylic and collage on canvas, 132 × 176 cm. Image courtesy of 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok. 73 Gridthiya Gaweewong, “What’s new here?”, in Brand New 2009 (Bangkok: Bangkok University, 2009). Gridthiya was invited to curate the 2009 Brand New Project. On this occasion she interviewed some of the young artists on their main concerns. 74 Interview with Yuree Kensaku, dated January 18, 2011. See Appendix for the transcript. 105 Artist Montri Toemsombat combines digitally based artworks with historically relevant context. Photography and videos are the key components in Montri’s installations and coexist with natural, basic elements like rice, or common materials such as barb wire. In the installation and performance Fake Me, first presented for his residency in Japan, Montri compares himself to a bonsai (made from barb wire) to criticise suppressive Asian society.75 His work remains throughout profoundly self-reflective, tackling his life experiences as a means to critique consumerism in contemporary society. Figure 4.18 Montri Toemsombat, Fake Me, 2002, barb wire, life-size costume, video installation, dimensions variable. 75 Gridthiya Gaweewong, “Montri Toemsombat”, in Next Move exhibition catalogue (Singapore: LaSalle, 2003). 106 Overall, in a time where the Thai cultural zeitgeist is being redefined by a wave of younger artists, motifs pulled from Thai national heritage seem to coexist with individual preoccupations. Contemporary art becomes the fragmented expression of national and personal themes and methodologies. “Mainly … they [contemporary artists] talk about themselves. The situation is very different than in Vasan and Manit generation,” says Wit Pimkanchanapong.76 Undoubtedly, artists from the 1990s—some now considered senior art practitioners—have assumed strong social and political roles. Their ideals are taken to the streets or indeed assimilated in the production of socially engaged works that speak the language of the common people. Their art is both approachable and socially relevant.77 On the other hand, emerging artists of the twenty-first century tend to favour a self-reflective art language generally devoid of culturally parochial connotations.78 “Political themes, of course, are still very contemporary but … there is no belief that art can make a change,” adds Wit, especially referring to the recent political upheavals that have brought a general feeling of scepticism among Thais.79 Notwithstanding this social transition and its effect on the art practice, socio-political art is by all means a crucial part of Thai contemporary art, albeit mostly heralded by senior artists now in their 76 Interview with Wit Pimkanchanapong, dated February 2, 2011—Appendix. See also Iola Lenzi History and Memory in Thai contemporary Art . C-arts magazine, vol. 11 November–December (2009). 77 A successful example is the desk installation History Class series by artists Sutee Kunavichayanont. 78 This is partly due to the growing pedagogical alternatives in Thai art education As seen in chapter 3—- University case Study—- both BU and CU do not have a strong political agenda in their art educational approach, whereas SU reinforces social commitment. 79 Interview with Wit Pimkanchanapong, dated February 2, 2011—Appendix. 107 40s or 50s.80 Whereas the desire “to change things for the better” still exists among young Thai artists, the vision of that “change” has shifted from the wider national scale to the individually defined personal experience.81 80 An example of this generational phenomenon can be seen in Negotiating Home, History and Nation (Singapore Art Museum, 2011) exhibition, which features 11 Thai art practitioners of the 1950s and 60s generation. They are some of the most socially engaged artists on the scene today. For artist/artworks list refer to Iola Lenzi, “Negotiating Home, History and Nation”, in Negotiating, Home, History and Nation, ed. Lenzi (Singapore: Singapore Art Musuem, 2011). See also Iola Lenzi, “History and Memory in Thai Contemporary Art” in C-arts magazine, 11 (November –December 2009). 81 Interview with Wit Pimkanchanapong, dated February 2, 2011—Appendix. 108 5. CONCLUSION: RELEVANCE OF ART EDUCATION ON TWENTYFIRST CENTURY THAI ART PRACTICES In this last chapter, final conclusions are drawn in the attempt to answer the following questions: 1. How is the artists’ art educational background linked to certain visual trends and methodologies? 2. What are other possible explanations for these visual trends? The methodology used in this research paper involves close analysis of the art education propounded by three leading universities in Bangkok— Silpakorn University (SU), Chulalongkorn University (CU) and Bangkok University (BU)—and the art practice of six emerging artists graduated from these institutions. At the end of this study, the thesis supported by the researcher is that each elective art education tends to produce a particular type of artist/art practice. Although there are other influential elements that contribute to the final language of an accomplished artist, this thesis bears consequence on the emerging art scene in twenty-first century Thailand. Accordingly, the aim of Chapter 5 is to highlight the links between the type of art education offered at each institution and the type of artworks produced by the six graduated students. The researcher is aware that their views may not be transferable to a wider population. However, the criteria used for the selection of the artists has been indiscriminate based on 109 nationwide universities’ surveys, on the major art exhibition, Siamese Smile, which was held in this decade and, finally, based on the availability of the artists at the time of research. 5.1 Links Between Art Education and Art Practices From the analysis of the six selected artists’ backgrounds, it seems highly possible to explain and interpret their art practice primarily as a result of their art education—intended in this paper as art curriculum, academic members and overall philosophy of the school—they have received in each elective university. Silpakorn University In Chapter 3 we have discussed how SU education approach is likely to produce: 1. Artists with higher basic skills, due to the selection process and curriculum; 2. General lack of critical approach to art-making due to limited exposure to conceptual practices; 3. Proficiency in mastering Thai vernacular themes and mediums based on the exposure to Thai art subjects; and 4. Artworks involving communal themes and preoccupations since the course requires social commitment and reinforces national identity. 110 Based on the analysis of SU graduates Chusak Srikwan and Anupong Chanton, it can be said that both artists’ practice reflect all the main qualities nurtured by SU education approach. Both artists are distinctively recognisable for their outstanding figurative skills, a trademark of most artists graduated from SU. This quality matches the choices made by the selected case study artists of traditional art and craft, that is, sculpture, figurative paintings and shadow puppets.1 Having to take at least one subject from the Thai Art major throughout the five-year programme likely presents the students with an array of specific methodologies and themes, including ‘spirituality’, as highlighted in the previous chapter. The researcher understands and explains how spirituality—intended as religion, harmony and general respect for the other—is a theme beyond the boundaries of education approached by numerous artists. What becomes relevant in the context of this research is the rendering of this theme through religious iconography, as in the case of Anupong’s paintings/sculptures and Chusak’s shadow puppetry. Religion is in fact one of the pillars of Thai-ness, historically based on the King-Country-Sangha triad2 and, similarly, as with religious mural paintings3 in Thai modern art history, is a language that most Thais find approachable as it taps on familiar imagery. On a deeper level, the choice of a theme as such reflects the direction of the school, which reinforces national identity, historically defined as Thai-ness. Both artists depart from 1 Besides being trained in Thai traditional art, Chusak’s choice is also dictated by his family history; his grandfather was a shadow puppet craftsman, his father a painter. 2 Apinan Poshyananda, “The Development of Contemporary Art of Thailand: Traditionalism in Reverse”, in Tradition and Change: Contemporary Art of Asia and the Pacific, ed. C. Turner (Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 1993), 102. 3 Interview with Anupong Chanton, dated February 13, 2011—Appendix. 111 the proficiency of their figurative skills to produce straightforward artworks that tackle the community’s values. This again is not a unique trait of SU artists. Other art practitioners have involved the community and local memories in their work. What makes it more relevant in the context of this study is the language used by the selected artists, which is locally rooted within Thai culture. Chulalongkorn University As discussed in Chapter 3, CU education approach is likely to produce: 1. Artists with lower figurative skills and execution abilities, due to wider student population with no art background; 2. “International students” 4 who are able to develop their own language within contemporary art; 3. Decreasing number of graduating students due to an obsolete curriculum (Artists who graduated in the 1980s and 90s are those who benefited from the alternative techniques and conceptual framework fostered by the innovative Intermedia major); and 4. Support of the national cultural heritage. Based on the analysis of the selected case study artists Wit Pimkanchanapong and Montri Toemsombat, it is acceptable to say that both artists reflect in their practice the artistic directions nurtured by CU. 4 Interview with Dean Suppakorn Disatapundhu, dated October 29, 2010—Appendix. 112 Montri’s whole practice revolves around photography, digital-based work and performance. When he trained in the 1990s5, Intermedia was an innovative major, emphasising experimental and conceptual techniques to figurative skills. At CU, Montri studied with Ajarn Montien Boonma and Kamol Phaosavasdi. If the latter is considered the first Thai artist to experiment with new media, then Ajarn Montien is considered the first Thai artist to develop conceptually relevant art, negotiating contemporary and traditional themes. Whether influenced by his mentors or the overall direction of the school, Montri’s works are locally rooted and self-reflective, often departing from his life experiences to tackle broader social issues, such as spirituality and harmony, as defined previously. His rendering is what makes Montri’s language distinctive from other artists dealing with similar themes. By choosing a visual iconography not strictly related to Buddhist imagery (as have Chusak and Anupong), Montri makes his work approachable to Thai and non-Thai audiences alike. Wit’s architectural training has promoted his sensibility towards the idea of space and time, which are the two key elements in his interactive kinetic and computer-based works fostered by CU. Also, international residencies have helped him to enhance his multi-disciplinary art practice and to refine, as he says, his eye for the breath of Thai culture. Wit seems to be able to look at Thai art both as an insider and outsider6, captivating 5 One of the three selection criteria for this study was the artists’ graduation from year 2000 onwards. Although the two artists graduated at the end of the 90s they were selected for this study due to the lack of younger artists who graduated from CU from 2000 onwards, who also featured in the 2008 exhibition Siamese Smile exhibition in BACC, Bangkok. See Chapter 1 for detailed research methodology. 6 Iola Lenzi, “Made in Thailand: selling Thailand to the Thais, new and improved”, in Neo-Nationalism exhibition catalogue (Bangkok: The Art Centre Chulalongkorn, 2005). 113 Thai cultural threads very perceptively. Like Montri, his work is engaging, interactive, technically sophisticated and intimately Thai.7 Due perhaps to the philosophy fostered by CU (the oldest university in Thailand), their art practice reassumes Thai threads both aesthetically— intended as sensitivity to artistic beauty—and culturally, by being locally rooted and internationally approachable. Conversely, as discussed in the next paragraph, BU students/artists seem to develop a visual language removed from locally rooted themes and concerns. This may be considered the main difference when comparing CU and BU. Bangkok University As discussed in Chapter 3, BU education approach is likely to produce: 1. Students generally lacking of basic figurative skills (Most of the intake comprises applicants who have not succeeded in prestigious public art schools); 2. Students with proficient use of technical skills since the focus of the curriculum, constantly updated, encourages alternative mediums and creativity; 3. Individual thinking fostered by a critical understanding of art; and 4. Openness towards international/alternative platforms. Lenzi discusses how the particular feature of contemporary Thai artists is to look from inside and outside Thai culture. 7 See Wit Pimkanchanapong, Hide and Seek—Soi Project, 2009, Yokohama International Triennale of Contemporary Art; and Montri Toemsombat, Breaking Out of the Cocoon, Growing Out of Rice solo exhibition, 2010, Jim Thompson Art Center, Bangkok. 114 Based on the evaluation of the selected case study artists Yuree Kensaku and Porntaweesak Rimsakul, it is possible to connect their art practice to the education philosophy fostered by BU. Both Yuree and Porntaweesak graduated in 2003 from the Visual Art department at BU and participated in the first edition of Brand New Project, an exhibition geared to newly graduated artists to show their works in various locations/institutions in Bangkok.8 Yuree’s work departs from graphic design all the way to anecdotal paintings, where she develops her own distinctive language mostly related to her life experience. She experiments with a variety of mediums, including canvas, collage, mixed media and installation, to best express her moods and personal concerns. Porntaweesak uses mainly interactive computer-based works to approach social and personal concerns. His artistic language focuses primarily on technical sophistication, producing works that require the audience’s participation in completing and/or prolonging the creative process. Whereas the colloquial and universally understood language9 adopted by both artists appeals equally to national and international audiences, their practice seems removed from Thai cultural threads perhaps due to the absence of a political agenda in the direction of this 8 Started by BU in 2003 this project is proving to be the counterbalance to the historical national exhibition. As discussed extensively in previous chapters, artists from CU and BU do not tend to attend or be accepted to the National Art Exhibition due to their low figurative skills. Brand New Project is opening up the possibility to newly graduated artists to show their less figurative, more technical, conceptual works. 9 That is, based on daily concerns of contemporary society, such as alienation, sex, social relationships and materialistic supremacy. 115 university. BU artists appear to embrace a global (and subsequently less local) view on contemporary art10, conversely to SU and CU, where a sense of national belonging is nurtured and broadly expressed in the students’ practice. 5.2 Future Research This study opens with a quote by Prof Apinan Poshyananda: “national identity formation is disseminated throughout institutions including … universities ... Visual arts have been manipulated as the vehicle to promote a reassuring and serene world of … Thai-ness …”11 His conclusion, made 18 years ago, seems to be at least partially resolute to this day. In a country historically monopolised by the Silpakorn canon, educational alternatives, such as CU and the most recent BU, define new paradigms, that is, they open art education and art practice towards a universal language where geographical and cultural imperatives are progressively replaced by personal concerns. This changing direction is mainly reflected in the artists/artworks emerging from CU and BU. By and large, artists from CU and BU are inclined to experiment with contemporary mediums and methodologies. Conversely, SU students 10 BU curriculum offers three optional classes throughout the entire programme that are centred on Thai art: Modernisation and Thai arts, Epistemology Through Thai Architecture, and Thai Arts and Cultural Identities. 11 Apinan Poshyananda, “The Future: Post-Cold War, Postmodernism, Postmarginalia (Playing with Slippery Lubricants)”, in Tradition and Change (Australia: University of Queensland Press, 1993), 13. 116 are, by and large, less inclined to experimentations, seemingly adhering more to traditional/craft methodologies. On the other hand, Thai cultural threads led by the universities’ policy or prompted by individual concerns are mostly visible in SU and CU artists. Overall, tracing the development of Thai art in recent years is not an easy task. Established artists, the generation of the 1950s and 60s, have been acclaimed internationally and recognised for their sophisticated and often socially engaged works. They have remarkably defined the canon of Thai contemporary art. Perhaps it is now time for art historians and academics to focus on the models of the younger generation, those born in the 1970s and 80s, to describe new tendencies and priorities detached from the lessons of their seniors. “Younger artists are becoming more liberal and do not feel so obliged to be respectful or kowtow to the older generation anymore.”12 With this study, the researcher attempts to provide one angle from which to tackle this change. As a foreign spectator the researcher has had the opportunity to analyse the data acquired with genuine interest in generating more knowledge on a virtually uncovered territory. Stemming from this study, there are several areas for future research that could be undertaken to conclusively present a trajectory of contemporary Thai art. Future research could involve the opening up to other art institutions throughout Thailand, equally important in shaping the emerging Thai art scene, to investigate the role Thai art practitioners have played and their impact on the younger ones in the generational transitions of 12 Interview with Prof Apinan Poshyananda. See Steven Pettifot, “A Fresh Face for Thai Art” in Asian Art News, 18, 6 (2008). 117 approaches and expressive themes and, finally, to consider other influences that may have had an impact on the younger generation, such as international education and/or residencies abroad. This project began with the belief that more information on Thailand’s art education system should be accessible to a non-Thai public, in order to approach the art of present-day Thailand with a better and wider understanding. Ultimately it is up to an informed audience to engage with the final product—the artwork—and to apprehend the experience conveyed. 118 APPENDIX Thesis Time Frame Aug 2010 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan 2011 Feb Mar Formulate ideas, benefits and objective of the study Design the research Collect data from related literature and design questionnaire Conduct indepth interviews Analyse data Prepare presentation and conclusion List of Informants Singapore Iola Lenzi, art critic and curator. Also the external advisor for this study. Prof Maurizio Peleggi, Asst Professor at the Department of History, NUS 119 Apr Thailand Ark Fongsmut, art critic and curator at BUG (Bangkok University Gallery), Bangkok Dr Brian Curtin, PhD, art critic and curator, Bangkok Dr Greory Galligan, PhD, art critic and founder of the Thai Art Archives, Bangkok Hernest H, H Gallery owner, Bangkok Krit Ngamson, artist, Bangkok Manit Sriwanichpoon, artist, Bangkok Michael Shoawanasai, artist, Bangkok Monvilai Rojananti, assistant curator at Gallery g23, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok Natee Utarit, artist and former lecturer at Bangkok University, Bangkok Pichaya Aime Suphavanij, curator at BACC (Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre), Bangkok Q Nuchanarts, 100 Tonson gallery manager, Bangkok Suebsang Sangwachirapiban, Contemporary Art and New Media Lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok Vasan Sitthiket, artist, Bangkok Vichaya Mukdamanee, artist and lecturer at Silpakorn University, Bangkok 120 Interview Details Interviewee Date Location E-mail correspondence Prof Nipan Oranniwesna 12 October 2010 Bangkok University November 2010, January 2011 Prof Jakapan Vilasineekul 13 October 2010 Silpakorn University Prof Kamol Phaosavasdi 14 October 2010 Chulalongkorn University Dean Suppakorn Disatapundhu 29 November 2010 Chulalongkorn University Dean Prinya Tantisuk 30 November 2010 Silpakorn University Dean Sansern Milandesuta 1 December 2010 Bangkok University Artist Yuree Kensaku 31 January 2011 Bangkok University 18 January 2011 Artist Pornatweesak Rimsakul NIL Bangkok University 18 January 2011 Artist Montri Toesombat 30 November 2010 Chulalongkorn University 15 February 2011 Artist Wit Pimkanchanapong 2 February 2011 Chulalongkorn University Artist Anupong Chanton NIL Silpakorn University Artist Chusak Srikwan 1 February 2011 Silpakorn University 13 February 2011 121 Interview Questionnaire Deans 1. Why was this faculty founded? 2. How is the faculty funded? 3. Who are the academic members of the Fine Art faculty of your university? 4. Is there a directive board that makes major decisions for curriculum, programmes etc? 5. What are the key strengths in the fine arts curriculum of your university? 6. How often do you update the curriculum? 7. What is the mission of your university/faculty? 8. How does the entrance test (if any) work for the intake of the new students? 9. How many students do you accept each year in your faculty/department? 10. Who are your students? 11. What kind of artists does your university hope to groom? 12. What is the role of National Art Exhibitions for the establishment of your students? 122 13. What are the similarities and differences, in your opinion, of the fine arts curriculum of Silpakorn, Chulalongkorn and Bangkok University? Professors 1. What are the key strengths in the fine arts curriculum of your university? 2. What kind of artists does your university hope to groom? 3. How are the art modules taught (i.e. what kind of assignments, books or activities are the students required to produce)? 4. Has the art curriculum been updated to meet contemporary expectations? 5. What are the similarities and differences, in your opinion, in the fine arts curriculum of Silpakorn, Chulalongkorn and Bangkok University? 6. Which is the fine arts faculty of your university and how is it funded? 7. What are the criteria for the selection of the students? 8. What support is provided to the graduated students by your university (e.g. the role of the faculty gallery)? 9. Which are the most recurrent visual trends (if any) developed by artists graduated from your institution? 123 10. What kind of recognitions are the young artists looking forward today (e.g. national art competitions)? 11. Is the patronage system still very strong? 12. Does art play any role in society? 13. What are the similarities and differences, in your opinion, of the fine arts curriculum of Silpakorn, Chulalongkorn and Bangkok University? Artists 1. Why did you choose your university for your bachelor’s degree? 2. Has your university proved influential to your art production? If so, how? If not, why? 3. What are the other elements that may have influenced your visual language? 4. What role do the senior artists play for the younger generation? 5. Have they been influential to the younger generation or is the younger generation breaking away from them? 6. Which are the most recurrent visual themes, in your opinion, developed by young Thai artists? 7. Is the patronage system still very strong? How does this affect your work? 124 8. Does art play a role in society? Is this important to you? 9. Did your university link art to contemporary society? 10. Does Thai contemporary art reflect reality or does it lead to reality? 11. In your opinion, what are the criteria in Thai society to judge good or bad Thai contemporary artworks? 12. What is your perception of Chulalongkorn, Silpakorn and Bangkok University? 13. What is the best thing about your university? What is the worst thing about it? 14. If you could go back to study again, would you choose the same university? If no, why not? Interview Transcripts Due to the lengthiness of the interviews, all transcripts have been saved in the attached CD. Please refer to the CD to access the transcribed texts. 125 Artists’ Biographies Chusak Srikwan Born: April 22, 1983, in Songkhla, Thailand Address: The Department of Fine Arts and Design Faculty Architecture Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya, Songkhla, Thailand 90000 Tel: +66 0869610188 E-mail: cheng_2526@hotmail.com Education 2009 MFA (Thai Art), Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand 2006 BFA (Thai Art), Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand Solo Exhibitions 2010 Shadow Play-Dharma, Ardel Gallery of Modern Art, Thailand. 2008 SHADOW PLAY, WHITE SPACE gallery Siam, Bangkok, Thailand. 2006 Honestly Brand new 2006 Exhibition, Bangkok University, Thailand. 126 Selected Collective Exhibitions 2010 1st Siam Arts fair at Crystal Design Center (CDE) Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand. The colors of Beijing by Poysien Grup, Krungthai Bank, Bangkok, Thailand. Graphic Art Exhibition Mono-Print, TheHandyia Gallery, Songkhla, Thailand. Received a Scholarship Exhibition from The Stateman General Prem Tinasulanon Foundation, The National Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. Thai-Thai Exhibition, Sirinthron Visual Arts Center, The Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, Thailand. The imagination in Thai arts at Thai Bank Museum, Bangkok, Thailand. Drawing Southeast Asia posted at Valley arts and cultural centers, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. WHITESPACE RETRO at WHITESPACE Gallery Bangkok, Thailand. 127 Animamix Biennial-Visual Attract and attack, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (MOCATP), Taiwan. Discovering MFA: Exotic Art, Aesthetic Thailand, The Exhibition and Auction of Artwork, The Foreign Affairs, Thailand. OUR BEST RECENT WORKS & GLASS ART PROJECT 26th Art Exhibition by Members of The Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University. No wall: Art and Friendship, The Treasury Department’s Kuru Sapha Printing House Building on Pra Arthit Road, Bangkok,Thailand. Always (as it was), Tang Contemporary Art, Bangkok, Thailand. Hong Kong International Art Fair, Hong Kong. The way of Thainess, The Queen’s Gallery, Bangkok. Aesthetics of Body by 500 Artists, Artery The Silom Galleria, Bangkok, Thailand. Contemporary Shadow Puppet (Exhibition: 100 Tonson Gallery ‘s Collection), 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. 128 2008 Trace of Siamese Smile: Art+Faith+Politics+Love at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Pathumwan Intersection, Bangkok. Anupong Chanton Born: March 15, 1980 Education 2007 MFA (Thai Art), Graduate School, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand 2004 BFA (2nd class honours, Thai Art), Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand Group Exhibitions 2010 Contemporary art exhibition I Silp Klin Talay, PSU Craft House Museum & Art Gallery, Songkhla. An exhibition to recollect to the good, the beauty and the love of Karuna and Ruang-urai Kusalasai. 3rd exhibition of small sculptures. 2009 An exhibition Satree Kue Sati, Sathira Dhammasathan, Bangkok. Artitude by 56 Degrees Group, Hof Art, Bangkok. 129 The 2nd Bangkok Triennale International Print and Drawing Exhibition to commemorate 65 years of Silpakorn University, Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Bangkok, and The Art and Cultural Center Commemorating the 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the King, Silpakorn University (Sanamchandra campus), Nakhon Pathom. G.S. Exhibition Seminar 2009, Tour Painting Exhibition of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Silpakorn University, Bangkok. Portraits of the King: The Art of Iconography, Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Bangkok. 2008 54th National Exhibition of Art, The National Gallery, Bangkok. Traces of Siamese Smile, Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Bangkok. 1st Contemporary Art Exhibition, Thailand Cultural Center, Bangkok. The exchange exhibition by three art institutes: Department of Fine Art, Faculty of Architecture, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang; Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Burapha University; 130 and Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Mahasarakham University. Inside Out… Outside In, ARDEL’s Third Place Gallery, Bangkok. Fusing International Biennale 2008, Taiwan. Shanghai Art Fair 2008, Shanghai Mart, China. 2007 53rd National Exhibition of Art, The Art and Cultural Center Commemorating the 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the King, Silpakorn University (Sanamchandra campus), Nakhon Pathom. 2006 52nd National Exhibition of Art, The Art and Cultural Center Commemorating the 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the King, Silpakorn University (Sanamchandra campus), Nakhon Pathom. An Art Exhibition by the Graduate Students (Thai Art), PSG Art Gallery, Silpakorn University, Bangkok. 28th Bua Luang Art Exhibition, The Queen’s Gallery, Bangkok. Lightness Darkness, A Group Exhibition by Thai Emerging Artists, Teo + Namfah Gallery, Bangkok. ARTSingapore 2007, The Contemporary Asian Art Fair, Singapore. 131 2005 51st National Exhibition of Art, The Art and Cultural Center Commemorating the 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the King, Silpakorn University (Sanamchandra campus), Nakhon Pathom. 22nd Exhibition of Contemporary Art by Young Artists, The National Gallery, Bangkok. 2004 Exhibition of Art Thesis by the students of Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts, PSG Art Gallery, Silpakorn University, Bangkok. 26th Bua Luang Art Exhibition, The Queen’s Gallery, Bangkok. The 16th Toshiba Brings Good Things to Life Art Exhibition, The National Gallery, Bangkok. Duo Exhibition 2007 2 Views Distinct Outlooks by Weerasak Sutsadee and Anupong Chanton , Ardel Gallery of Modern Art, Bangkok. Solo Exhibition 2010 Hope in the Dark, Ardel Gallery of Modern Art, Bangkok. 132 Wit Pimkanchanapong Born: 1976, in Bangkok, Thailand Education 1994 MA, Visual Communication, Kent Institute of Art & Design, Maidstone, UK 1992 Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand Residency Program 2002 International Artist Exchange Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Arts de Cergy-Pontoise Selected Exhibitions 2010 Banana Art Festival, Bangkok Art and Cultural Center, Bangkok, Thailand. 2009 Some Rooms, Osage Gallery Kwun Tong, Hong Kong Bangkok. 2008 SOI Project, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK. Far West, Anolfini, Bristol, UK. Far West, A Foundation, Liverpool, UK. Far West, Turner Contemporary, Margate, UK. 133 plAAy, Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, Blackburn, UK. Singapore Biennial 2008, Singapore. Koganecho Bazaar, Yokohama, Japan. Trace of Siamese Smile, Bangkok Art and Cultural Center, Bangkok, Thailand. 2007 Mirror Worlds, Two Room Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand. SOI Project, Sharjah Bienniale, Sharjah, UAE. Show me Thai, MOT Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan. Some Proplsals for the next future, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. From Message to Media, Bangkok University Art Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. Animated Painting, San Diego Art Museum, San Diego, USA. Digital Art Festival Tokyo, Panasonic Center, Tokyo, Japan. 2006 Temporary Art Museum Soi Sabai, Bangkok, Thailand. 134 Mirror Worlds, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia. SOI Project, Mairie de 6e, Paris, France. Platform: About Installation, Queen Sirikiti Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. 2005 Lak-Ka-Pid-Lak-Ka-Perd, Chulalongkorn University Art Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. Bangkok Bangkok, La Capella, Barcelona, Spain. Have we met?, Japan Foundation, Bangkok, Thailand. Bangkok Bangkok, De Markten, Brussels, Belgium. Mirror Worlds, Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney, Australia. Politics of Fun, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany. SOI Project, Yokohama International Triennale of Contemporary Art, Yokohama, Japan. T1 Torino Trienniale, Turin, Italy. 135 Montri Toemsombat Born: 1975, in Chaiyaphum, Thailand Education 1998 BFA, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok Solo Exhibitions 2008 NANOTHAILAND, 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. 2007 Nirvana/Paradise: Reality/Illusion, Photograph, La Fete 2007, Khutmundu Photo Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. 2006 Rice/Life, Ever-presence, Installation/Performance, RoomX, Kiasma Museum, Helsinki, Finland. 2005 New Fashion Order; Dissolution, Installation/Performance, RMIT Project Space, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. 2004 Enchanté, Site-Specific Installation/VDO/Performance/Meditative Promenade, Alliance Française, Bangkok, Thailand. 2002 Fake me, Installation/VDO/Performance, The Art Gallery, Japan Cultural Centre, Bangkok, Thailand. 136 1999 Cocoon: The Renaissance, Installation/VDO, Jim Thomson Thai House Museum, Bangkok, Thailand. Group Exhibitions 2009 Fluid Zones, Jakarta Biennale 2009, Jakarta, Indonesia. 2008 Busan Biennale, the Busan Museum of Modern Art, Korea. 2007 CUT: New Photography from Southeast Asia, Valentine Willie Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2006 Ramasseurs de sourires, Contemporary Mho Lam Performance, Mairie du 6eme Arrondisement, Tout a fait Thai Festival, Paris, France. Inhale-Exhale, Installation/Performance/VDO Installation, ARS 06, Kiasma Museum, Helsinki, Finland. 600 images/60 artists/6 curators/6 cities, Transfer, Photograph, Bangkok, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Manila, Saigon. 2004 Heart Whitening, Installation and Meditation Workshop, Living Art: Regional Artists Respond to HIV/ AIDS, The Queen’s Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. 137 Inhale-Exhale, Installation/Performance/VDO Installation, Identities Versus Globalisation?, Chiang Mai Art Museum, National Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand, Dahlem Museum, Berlin, Germany. 2004 Untitled Performance, Dreams and Conflicts, The 50th International Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Venice Biennale, Thai Pavilion, Venice, Italy. 2003 Fake me, Installation/VDO, Next Move, Earl Lu Gallery, LASALLE-SIA College of Art, Singapore. Unknot, Installation, Crossing-Knotting, Nordbahnhof, Berlin, Germany. 2002 Bangkok Buffalo Boy, Performance/Installation/VDO, Under Construction: The New Dimension of Asian Art, Japan Foundation Forum, Tokyo, Japan. Beauty First and Our People, VDO, Malaysia VDO Film Festival, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Golden Horizon, Photographs, Living out, Hiding in, Tang Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. Bangkok Buffalo Boy, Performance/Installation/VDO, Under Construction: Sorry for the Inconvenience, Bangkok University, Bangkok, Thailand. 138 2001 Beauty First and Our People, VDO, The 1st Tirana Biennale, The National Gallery, Tirana, Albania. Untitled, Installation/Performance, KHOJ: The 5th International Artists’ workshop, Modi House Modinagar, New Dehli, India. 2000 Our People, VDO, Euro-Visions: Thai-European Contemporary Art Exhibition, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. Untitled, Performance, Biennale Internationale du Design 2000, Parc des Expositions, St Etienne, France. Beauty First, VDO/Photographs, Alien(gener)ation, The Art Centre, Centre of Academic Resource, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. Cocoon: The Renaissance, Installation, L'Art Dans Le Monde 2000, Pont Alexandre III, Paris, France. 1999 Rice-Life, Installation/Performance, The 1st Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan. 139 Yuree Kensaku Born: 1979, in Bangkok, Thailand Education 2002 BFA, Visual Arts Department, School of Fine and Applied Arts, Bangkok University, Thailand Visiting Lecturer 2004–2006 School of Fine and Applied Arts, Bangkok University 2009–2010 School of Fine and Applied Arts, Bangkok University Residency Program 2007 The Adventure of Momotaro Girl, Artist in Museum YOKOHAMA 2007, Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan Solo Exhibitions 2010 Sweet with Mr. Fan, 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. 2009 Mapping Asia, Young Asian Artist Solo Shows, China World Trade Center, Beijing, China. 2008 Same Place While The Clock's Hands Pace Episode: Old House, VER Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. 140 Bubble Tea, SOKA Art Center, Taipei and Tainan, Taiwan. 2007 Adventure of Momotaro Girl, Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama, Japan. Love in a Platinum Frame, The Art Center, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. 2005 It's Spiritually Good!, 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok Thailand. 2004 108 Paths to Vanity, 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok Thailand. 2003 Brand New, Tee–Rak–Hak–Liam–Hode, Art Gallery of Bangkok University, Kluay Naam Tai Campus, Bangkok, Thailand. Selected Exhibitions 2010 Imagine Peace, Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Bangkok, Thailand. THAI YO Cultural Creativity, Creative Economy, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Bangkok, Thailand. FOR, Wall Painting Showcase, Art and Culture Centre, Bangkok, Thailand. 2009 Animamix Biennale at MoCA Shanghai, China. 141 New Wave—Group Exhibition of Asian Young Artist at Soka Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan. Mini Matters, Galerie N Bangkok, Bangkok. Ohayo Thailand, Yoshi Gallery Bkk, Bangkok. 2008 Traces of Siamese Smile: Art+Faith+Politics+Love, Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Bangkok, Thailand. 2007 Let’s Talk About Love Art Exhibition at the Art Gallery of Bangkok University (BUG), Kluay Naam Tai Campus, Bangkok. Experience Art Exhibition (Project Zero) at Central World Plaza, Bangkok. School of Bangkok (who and where are we in this contemporary era) at Bangkok University Gallery, Bangkok. 2006 10th Anniversary of Tadu Contemporary Art at Tadu Contemporary Art, Bangkok. Living a Happy Life in Bangkok (You-Yen-Pen-SukeNai-Pan-Din) by artists and illustrators of Dichan magazine at Fashion Hall the Emporium Department Store, Bangkok. Inspired by the King at Playground store, Bangkok. 142 Porntaweesak Rimsakul Education 2005 MA (Painting), Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand 2002 BFA (Visual Arts), Bangkok University, Bangkok, Thailand Residency Program 2004 École nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France Solo Exhibitions 2006 Porntaweesak’s Exhibition, 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. 2003 Feeling, Bangkok University Art Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. Selected Group Exhibitions 2009 Fluid Zones, Jakarta Biennale 2009, Jakarta, Indonesia. 2008 Traces of Siamese Smile: Art+Faith+Politics+Love, Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Bangkok, Thailand. Kuandu Biennale, Taipei, Taiwan. 143 Busan Biennale, the Busan Museum of Modern Art, Korea. Coffee, Cigarettes and Pad Thai: Contemporary Art in Southeast Asia, Eslite Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan. 2007 10th International Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey. ATTITUDE 2007, Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, Japan. Experience Art Exhibition (Project Zero) at Central World Plaza, Bangkok. Thermocline of Art - New Asian Waves, ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany. All About Laughter, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan. Thai Contemporary Art - Show Me Thai, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan. Art of Corruption, the Contemporary Art and Culture Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. The Heineken Fat Festival, Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand. 2006 Soi Project 2006, Saint Sulpice, Paris, France. Inspired by the King, Playground Store, Bangkok, Thailand. 144 Temporary Art Museum Soi SABAI, The Art Gallery of The Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, Pladib Restaurant, Soi Areesamphan7 RAMA VI, Bangkok, Thailand. PLATFORM: New Media Lab - Interactive Multimedia Art by Thai and Australian Artists, The Art Center ChulalongKorn University, Bangkok Thailand. 2005 School of Bangkok, Tadu Contemporary Art, Bangkok, Thailand. T1 Torino triennale Tremusei, Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Rivoli Torino, Italy. Vision Impossible, Pladib Restaurant, Soi Areesamphan7 RAMA VI, Bangkok, Thailand. Politics of fun, Haus Der Kulturen der welt, Berlin, Germany. Actes de Fe i de Generositat, Performance with Peter Baren, La bisbal d’empordà&Barcelona, Spain. Fool’s paradise/La Fête2005, The Art Center Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. Have We Met, Bangkok?, The Japan Foundation Art Space, Sermmit Tower10F Bangkok, Thailand. 145 The Mosaic of Genius: M.A.P, Art center of Silpakorn University, Wang thapra Bangkok, Thailand. The Way to Art, The Art Gallery of The Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. Have we met, The Japan Foundation Forum, Tokyo, Japan. 2004 à la G.G./At galerie Gauche, École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France. Thailand in August: welcome to soi sabai, curated by Fumiya Sawa, Graf media gm, Osaka, Japan. Here&Now, curated by Nathalie Boutin, Blue building, pomprab, Bangkok, Thailand. Oh!, Old factory, Rama4 ,Klongteuy, Bangkok, Thailand. Vitalistic Photography3, The National Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. 3Finnish Artist, Art center of Silpakorn University, Wang thapra, Bangkok, Thailand. 146 Universities’ Missions and Translated Art Curricula Silpakorn University http://www.su.ac.th/ Mission Statement Silpakorn University provides quality education at all degree levels in the fields more relevant to national development goals. In carrying out this task, the University deems it crucial to match its resources and experience, especially in the areas in which it is academically strongest, with the country’s social needs and economic position. It aims to promote intellectual progress, enhance aesthetic awareness and creativity, and develop academic and professional competence, together with a sense of ethical virtues and social responsibility. It strives for educational quality through ongoing strengthening of teaching and research, and through the integrations of its currently wide range of disciplines in the arts and sciences and professional specialisations. It is committed to public service with a view to contributing to the conservation and development of art, culture and environment for the sake of the country, community and humanity. 147 Art Curriculum Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts (BFA) Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University 1. Name of the Program Bachelor of Fine Arts Program: Visual Arts 2. Name of the Degree Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) [BFA (Visual Arts)] 3. Responsible Institution Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts 4. Academic Progress 4.1 Two semesters per year 4.2 Academic Credits 1) 1 credit of lecture class is equal to 1 hour per week 2) 1 credit of studio class is equal to 3 hours per week 3) 1 credit of Thesis class and elective subs equal to 2 hours per week 4) 1 credit of practical training is equal to 3-6 hours per week 148 In each subject, there are three categories of academic requirement: lecture, practice, and additional study outside of class. The total number of credits and each category are stated in the specific form: Total credits (lecture hours per week – studio practice hours – additional practice hours) For example, 2(2-0-4) means the subject’s total credits are two credits. Each week, it requires two hours of lectures, no studio practice, and four hours of additional study outside of class. 5. Years of Study Minimum is 5 academic years, but not more than 10 years in total. 6. Registration Each student can register no less than 12 credits and no more than 22 credits in one semester. In the summer section, the student can register no more than 9 credits, except in the last semester when the student needs no more than 12 credits in order to graduate. 7. Grading Requirement and Graduation 7.1 Grading System In major subjects, studio class, and thesis, the student needs to a GPA of more than 2.00 or “C” in order to pass the subject. 149 7.2 Graduating Requirement In order to graduate, the student has to pass no less than 156 credits in total, and achieve a GPA of no less than 2.00. 8. Program 8.1 Total credit 1) Diploma in Fine Arts (Visual Arts) minimum 110 Credits 2) Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) minimum 156 Credits 30 Credits 14 Credits 8.2 Curriculum Structure Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) 2.1) General Basic Subjects minimum Specific Classes that are required 2.2) 2.3) Elective Classes that required minimum 8 Credits Basic Elective Classes minimum 8 Credits Major Subjects minimum 118 Credits Pre-Major 58 Credits Basic for Major 18 Credits Major 42 Credits minimum 8 Credits minimum 118 Credits Elective Subjects 2) Major Subjects 150 58 2.1) Pre-Major Credits This group is divided into 2 catagories: General Pre-Major and Required Pre-Major. (1) General Pre-Major 46 Credits 200 101 Art Fundamentals I 200 102 Art Fundamentals II 3(1-36-2) 200 103 Drawing I 2(1-3-2) 200 104 Drawing II 2(1-3-2) 200 105 Drawing III 2(1-3-2) 200 106 Composition I 2(1-3-2) 200 107 Composition II 2(1-3-2) 200 108 Composition III 2(1-3-2) 200 109 Creativity in Visual Arts I 2(1-3-2) 200 110 Creativity in Visual Arts II 2(1-3-2) 200 111 Basic Computer for Visual Arts 2(1-3-2) 200 112 Special Art Topics 2(2-0-4) 200 201 Seminar 2(2-0-4) 214 101 Basic Thai Art Studies 2(1-3-2) 215 101 History of Eastern Art 2(2-0-4) 151 215 102 History of Western Art 2(2-0-4) 215 103 Modern Art in Thailand 2(2-0-4) 215 104 Art Management 2(2-0-4) 215 201 Aesthetics I 2(2-0-4) 215 202 Aesthetics II 2(2-0-4) 215 203 Art Research Methodology 2(2-0-4) 215 204 Art Criticism 2(2-0-4) (2) Specific Pre-Major 12 Credits 211 101 Painting 3(1-6-2) 212 101 Sculpture 3(1-6-2) 213 101 Basic Printmaking 3(1-6-2) 214 102 Thai Art 3(1-6-2) 2.2) Basic for Major 18 Credits Subjects with * are required for students that major in Sculpture Subjects with ** are required for students that major in Graphic Arts Subjects with *** are required for students that major in Thai Art Subjects with **** are required for students that major in Art Theory 200 151 Concepts in Art 2(2-0-4) 200 152 Interdisciplinary Art Studies 2(2-0-4) 152 200 251 Special Studies 2(1-2-3) 211 151 Materials and Media in Painting 2(1-2-3) 211 251 New Experimental Painting 2(1-2-3) 212 151 Materials and Media in Sculpture 2(1-2-3) 212 152 Sculptural Design and Environment * 2(1-2-3) 212 251 Human Figure-based Sculpture * 2(1-2-3) 213 151 Materials and Media in Printmaking** 2(1-2-3) 213 152 Three-Dimensional Printmaking ** 2(1-2-3) 213 251 New Experimental Printmaking 2(1-2-3) 214 151 Thai Art Studies *** 2(1-2-3) 214 152 Traditions in Thai Art *** 2(2-0-4) 214 153 Thai Art Appreciation 2(2-0-4) 214 154 Values in Traditional Thai Art 2(2-0-4) 215 151 Contemporary Art in Asia 2(20-4) 215 152 Museum and Art Gallery Study **** 2(20-4) 215 153 Art and Technology in the Modern Time 2(20-4) 215 154 Classic Art 2(2-0-4) 215 155 Philosophy of Criticism **** 2(20-4) 215 156 Modern Art 2(2-0-4) 153 215 251 Comparative Arts **** 2(2-0-4) 215 252 Documentation in Art **** 2(20-4) 216 151 Photography and Video Art 2(12-3) 216 152 Installation Art 2(12-3) 216 153 Time-based Art 2(12-3) 216 154 Sound Art 2(12-3) 42 2.3) Major Credits This group is divided into 2 catagories: Major and Thesis (1) Major Students must choose only 1 major. (1.1) Major in Painting 24 Credits 211 121 Painting I 6(1-15-2) 211 122 Painting II 6(1-15-2) 211 221 Painting III 6(1-15-2) 211 222 Painting IV 6(1-15-2) (1.2) Major in Sculpture 24 Credits 212 121 Sculpture I 6(1-15-2) 212 122 Sculpture II 6(1-15-2) 212 221 Sculpture III 6(1-15-2) 212 222 Sculpture IV 6(1-15-2) 154 (1.3) Major in Graphic Arts 24 Credits 213 121 Printmaking I 6(1-15-2) 213 122 Printmaking II 6(1-15-2) 213 221 Advanced Printmaking I 6(1-15-2) 213 222 Advanced Printmaking II 6(1-15-2) (1.4) Major in Thai Art 24 Credits 214 121 Thai Art I 6(1-15-2) 214 122 Thai Art II 6(1-15-2) 214 221 Thai Art III 6(1-15-2) 214 222 Thai Art IV 6(1-15-2) (1.5) Major in Art Theory 32 Credits 215 121 Works of Art Analysis 3(30-6) 215 122 Communication 2(20-4) 215 123 Theory of Creativity 3(30-6) 215 124 Change in Society and Culture and the Evolution of Art 2(20-4) 215 125 History and Philosophy of Art Criticism 2(20-4) 215 221 Art Teaching 3(2-3-4) 215 222 Writing in Art Criticism 3(30-6) 155 215 223 Contemporary Art in Thailand 3(2-3-4) 215 224 Aesthetics of the Eastern World 2(20-4) 215 225 Psychology of Art 2(20-4) 215 226 Criticism of Contemporary Art in Thailand 3(23 -4) 215 227 Research of Art (1.6) Major in Mixed Media Art 4(26-4) 24 Credits 216 121 Mixed Media I 6(1-152) 216 122 Mixed Media II 6(1-152) 216 221 Mixed Media III 6(1-15-2) 216 222 Mixed Media IV 6(1-15-2) (2) Thesis In order to take Thesis, the student must pass more than 110 academic credits. The student allowed to take Thesis 1 must research a thesis topic approved by the department committee. 200 241 Art Thesis I 8(1-14-9) 200 242 Art Thesis II 18(2-32-20) 215 241 Theory Art Thesis 10(1-18-11) 156 3) Elective Subjects (Faculty’s Requirement) minimum 8 Credits 211 181 Portrait and Nude Painting 2 (1-2-3) 211 182 Landscape Painting 2(1-2-3) 212 181 Portrait Sculpture 2(1-2-3) 212 182 Welding in Sculpture 2(1-2-3) 212 183 Casting in Sculpture 2(1-2-3) 212 184 Carvings in Sculpture 2(1-2-3) 212 185 Model Reducing and Enlarging 2(1-2-3) 213 181 Graphic Arts for Design 2(1-2-3) 214 181 Traditional Thai Ornament 2(1-2-3) 214 182 Thai Traditional Art and Craft 2(1-2-3) 214 183 Thai Buddhist Art 2(2-0-4) 214 184 Thai Traditional Art Conservation 2(2-0-4) 214 185 Thai Folk Art 2(2-0-4) 215 181 Human Anatomy 2(1-2-3) 215 182 Animal Anatomy 2(1-2-3) 215 183 Color in Art 2(2-0-4) 215 184 Drama and Film Criticism 2(2-0-4) 215 185 Problem in Art Education 2(2-0-4) 157 215 186 Medieval Art of Europe 2(2-0-4) 215 187 European Art of the 15th to 18th Century 2(2-0-4) 215 188 Western Art of the 19th and 20th Century 2(2-0-4) 215 189 Art Nouveau and Art Déco 2(2-0-4) 215 190 Modern Art in America 2(2-0-4) 215 191 Art of South Asia 2(2-0-4) 215 192 Art of South East Asia 2(2-0-4) 215 193 Art of Far East 2(2-0-4) 216 181 Computer for Visual Arts 2(1-2-3) 216 182 Materials for Visual Arts 2(2-0-4) 216 183 Visual Arts in Environment 2(1-2-3) 216 184 History of New Media 2(2-0-4) 216 185 New Media and Contemporary Topics 2(2-0-4) 158 Chulalongkorn University http://www.inter.chula.ac.th/inter/AboutUs/mission.htm http://www.chula.ac.th/cuen/ Mission Statement Our mission is to implement international relations by emphasizing cooperative activities, academic exchanges with international institutions, and academic services to international communities in order to create role for Chulalongkorn University to serve as a gateway to regional and international forums. Also, the Office of International Affairs was set up to develop and prepare academic readiness among personnel and students so as to enable them to keep abreast of academic development, and to communicate effectively on an international level and to restructure work in international relations in order to accommodate activities for teaching staff and international students attending courses in Chulalongkorn University. 159 Art Curriculum Bachelor Degree of Fine and Applied Arts (BFA) - Visual Art Four-year course - equivalent to 135 credits subdivided accordingly: • General Study (30 credits including Social Studies, Humanities, Science and Foreign Languages) • Humanities and Maths (9 credits) • Specialised Subjects (96 credits) Foreign language group (12) 5500111 English for using in real life 1 5500112 English for using in real life 2 5500291 English conversation for working in art 5500292 English writing for working in art Must-take (6) Specialised subjects (96) Basic (9) Must-take (75) • 2201181 (THAI LANGUAGE I) • 3500230 (ART/ TECHNOLOGY) • 3500111 (INTRO FINE APP ART) 160 • 3500300 (RSRCH RPT WRITING) • 3500430 (AESTHETIC FINE ART) • 2313201 (FUN PHOTO SCI) • 2313202 (PHOTO LAB) • 2313203 (COLOR PHOTO) • 2313204 (COLOR LAB) • 35011201 (HIST WEST ART I) • 35011212 (HIST WEST ART II) • 35011401 (DRAWING I) • 35011412 (DRAWING II) • 35011501 (PAINTING I) • 35011601 (SCULPTURE I) • 35011701 (PRINTMAKING I) • 35012141 (THAI ARTS I) • 35012152 (THAI ARTS II) • 35012221 (HIST ORIEN ART I) • 3501224 (HIST THAI ART) • 35012403 (DRAWING III) • 35012502 (PAINTING II) • 35012602 (SCULPTURE II) • 35012702 (PRINTMAKING II) (75) • 3501416 (ART CRITICISM) • 3501417 (PRO PRAC VIS) • 3501418 (RESRCH VIS ARTS) • 3501490 (SENIOR PROJECT) 161 • 35021401 (CREATIVE DESN I) • 35021412 (CREATIVE DESN II) (12) • 35012513 (PAINTING III) • 35012613 (SCULPTURE III) • 35012713 (PRINTMAKING III) • 35012813 (PHOTO GRAPHIC III) • 35013404 (DRAWING IV) • 35013504 (PAINTING IV) • 35013515 (PAINTING V) • 35013604 (SCULPTURE IV) • 35013615 (SCULPTURE V) • 35013704 (PRINTMAKING IV) • 35013715 (PRINTMAKING V) • 3501390 (INTER MEDIA) • 3501391 (EXPERIMENT VIS ARTS) • 35013804 (PHOTO GRAPHIC IV) • 35013815 (PHOTO GRAPHIC V) • 3501392 (MODERN TH VIS) 162 Bangkok University http://thailand-university.blogspot.com/2007/10/bangkok-university.html http://www.bu.ac.th/th/index_en.php http://fab.bu.ac.th/index.php Mission Statement Bangkok University aims at developing its students to become graduates with the highest potential in academic and practical contexts. They are to have vision, flexibility and self-adjustment ability in order to pursue their career confidently in this competitive, fast changing world. The University serves as an academic center where academicians, experts and researchers meet. Together they work to encourage development and to exchange knowledge, within the country and internationally. The outcome is betterment of education and a greater service to the society that adhere to the theme ‘Advanced Knowledge and Expertise’. Art Curriculum Bachelor Degree of Fine and Applied Arts (BFA) - Visual Art Four-year course: equivalent of 139 credits subdivided accordingly: • General Education (30 credits) 163 • Professional Education (103 credits) • Core Course/Foundations (24 credits) • Major Requirment (70 credits) • Major Electives (9 credits) • Free Electives (6 credits) 1st Year VA11 Painting 1 FA101 Drawing I FA103 Two Dimensional Design FA107 Colour Theory FA105 History of Art I VA11 Painting II FA102 Drawing II FA104 Two Dimensional Design FA108 Colour Theory FA106 History of Art II 2nd Year VA 213 Sculpture I VA214 Printmaking I 164 VA215 Photography VA221 Contemporary art and Postmodern Issues VA 216 Sculpture II VA217 Printmaking II VA218 Media Art VA221 Contemporary art and Postmodern Issues 3rd Year VA301 Visual arts I VA323 Modernization and Thais Arts VA324 Aesthetic I XXX Major elective XXX Free Elective VA302 Visual arts II VA326 Art Criticism VA325 Aesthetic II XXX Major elective 4th Year VA 403 Visual Arts III VA405 Degree Project Preparation 165 VA427 Pattern Preparation XX Major Elective XXX Free Elective VA 404 Visual Arts IV VA405 Degree Project in Visual Art 166 BIBLIOGRAPHY Awisiri,Thanet . Love in Platinum Frame. Bangkok: The Art Centre, Chulalongkorn University, 2007. Chotpradit, Thanavi. It’s Spiritually Good. Bangkok: 100 Tonson Gallery, 2005. Clark, John. “Art School Education in Thailand.” In Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999. Sydney: Power Publications, 2010. Clark, John. “Styles and Institutions in Thailand.” In Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999. Sydney: Power Publications, 2000. Clark, John. Modern Asian Art. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1998. Gaweewong,Gridthiya. “Montri Toemsombat”, in Next Move. Singapore: LaSalle, 2003. Gaweewong, Gridthiya. “What’s new here?”, in Brand New 2009. Bangkok: Bangkok University, 2009. Gaweewong,Gridthiya. “Experimental Art in Thailand: Work in (a slow) Progress”, in Next Move. Singapore: LaSalle, 2003. Gaweewong,Gridthiya. “ Wasting Time with Art” in Not Quite a Total Eclipse. Bangkok: 100Tonson Gallery, 2009. Janepraphaphan,Chol. Hybrid Technology. Bangkok: 100 Tonson Gallery, 2010. 167 Lenzi, Iola. “Formal Cues and Historical Clues in the Art of Sutee Kunavichayanont.” In Inflated Nostalgia. Singapore: Atelier Frank & Lee, 2001.Reprinted in Next Move. Singapore: LaSalle, 2003. Lenzi, Iola. “History and Memory in Thai Contemporary Art.” In C-Arts magazine, 11 (November–December, 2009). Lenzi, Iola. “Negotiating Home, History and Nation.” In Negotiating Home, History and Nation. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, 2011. Lenzi, Iola. VIP/un-VIP & other political tales. Singapore: Atelier Frank & Lee, 2003. Lenzi, Iola. “Breast Idiom”, in Breast and Beyond by Pinaree Sanpitak, Noon-Nom . Bangkok: Bangkok University Art Gallery, 2002. Lenzi, Iola. “Made in Thailand: selling Thailand to the Thais, new and improved”, in Neo-Nationalism. Bangkok: The Art Centre Chulalongkorn, 2005. Martens, Brian. “Traces of Siamese Smile: Art + Faith + Politics + Love.” In Art Asia Pacific, 63 (2009). Mukdamanee, Vichoke. Thai Contemporary Art. Bangkok: Art Centre Silpakorn, 2000. Mukdamanee, Vichoke. “Development of Contemporary Art in Thailand.” In Silpakorn University International Journal, 2, 1 (January–June, 2002). 168 Peleggi, Maurizio. Thailand the Worldly Kingdom. London: Cromwell Press, 2007. Pettifor, Steven. “A Fresh Face for Thai Art.” In Asian Art News, 18, 6 (2008). Pettifor, Steven. Flavours—Thai Contemporary Art. Bangkok: Thavibu Gallery Ltd, Amarin Printing Company, 2003. Pettifor, Steven “Chusak Srikwan at Ardel Gallery of Modern Art.” In Asian Art News 20, 5 (2010). Poshyananda, Apinan. “Contemporary Thai Art: Nationalism and Sexuality a la Thai.” In Traditions and Tensions. Contemporary Art in Asia. New York: Asia Society Gallery, 1996. Poshyananda, Apinan. “From Modern to (Post?) Modern Art in Thailand.” In Modern Art in Thailand. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Poshyananda, Apinan. Modern Art in Thailand. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Poshyananda, Apinan. “Modern Thai Painting and Sculpture at Crossroads.” In Modern Art in Thailand. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Poshyananda, Apinan. “Test, Value and Commodity.” In Modern Art in Thailand. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. 169 Poshyananda, Apinan. “Traces of Siamese Smile.” In Traces of Siamese Smile: Art + Faith + Politics + Love. Bangkok: BACC, 2008. Rodboon, Somporn. ”History of Modern Art in Thailand.” In Asian Modernism: Diverse Development of Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. Tokyo: Japan Foundation, 1995. Rojananti, Monvilai. “The Shape of Problems and Issues. Art Spaces in Educational Institutions in Bangkok.” Master’s thesis, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 2004. Srithongdee,Thaweesak , Hybrid Technology. Bangkok: 100 Tonson Gallery, 2010. Teh, David. “Travelling Without Moving.” Aan. http://www.readjournal.org/. Teh, David. On Yuree Kensaku. In From Surface to Origin. Bangkok: Gallery Sunflower, 2008. Tongchai, Bussaraporn. Hope in the Dark. Bangkok: Ardel Gallery, 2011. Turner, Caroline, ed. “The Development of Contemporary Art in Thailand: Traditionalism in Reverse.” In Tradition and Change Contemporary Art of Asia and the Pacific. Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 1993. Behind Thai Smiles: Selected Writings, 1991–2007. Bangkok: Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, 2007. 170 “History—Mission.” Education Services Division Silpakorn University, assessed March 3, 2010, http://www.eds.su.ac.th/su-historyeng.htm. Office of Quality Assurance in Education Silpakorn University, accessed March 3, 2010, http://www.qa.su.ac.th/DATA/index_QA.html. http://www.chula.ac.th/cuen/, assessed November 3, 2010. http://www.inter.chula.ac.th/inter/AboutUs/mission.htm, accessed February 13, 2011. http://www.cuqa.chula.ac.th/en/qa_mechanism/data.htm, accessed February 16, 2011. http://www.project304.info/, assessed March 5, 2011. “QA policy at BU”, accessed February 23, 2011, http://qa.bu.ac.th/. “Mission Statement.” Bangkok University, accessed February 23, 2011, http://thailand-university.blogspot.com/2007/10/bangkokuniversity.html. http://www.education.com, accessed February 3, 2011. 171

RELATED PAPERS

RELATED TOPICS

Log In

MA Thesis - THE ROLE OF ART EDUCATION IN BANGKOK AND ITS RELEVANCE ON TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY THAI ART PRACTICES

MA Thesis - THE ROLE OF ART EDUCATION IN BANGKOK AND ITS RELEVANCE ON TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY THAI ART PRACTICES

Related Papers

RELATED PAPERS

RELATED TOPICS