Artforum | Still Waters Run Deep

Artforum , March 14, 2024
The Seven-seater van hit a bump on the highway and jolted me awake. Caught between drowsiness induced by a 5 AM flight and faint motion sickness, I gazed sluggishly out the sunblocked window, toward the vast, unblemished horizon of Chiang Rai Province—the high-spirited host for the third Thailand Biennale. A buzz of anticipation hummed inside the vehicle, as the other passengers—a mixture of Thailand-based and regional writers—talked excitedly about the catch-it-all tour that the Biennale’s event team had fleshed out to ensure that all guests—artists, curators, journalists, and government officials alike—would have a total and immersive dip. With a promising lineup of sixty artists and fourteen pavilions, spread across eighteen venues in the cities of Chiang Rai and Chiang Saen, this multispherical universe was a joint collaboration between regional and international artists, government agencies, and the private sector.
 

A month later, I returned to Chiang Rai when a chill had seeped into its somber buildings. With neither chauffeur nor schedule, I ambled under the foliage of colossal trees, took idle Grab rides under a halcyon sky, and sat in reverie with artworks that not only respond to their venues’ multilayered narratives but also reveal the historical, ecological, and sociopolitical undercurrents of Thailand’s northernmost province. In Mae Fah Luang Art and Cultural Park, I sat in awe inside Haw Kham—a traditional Lanna house made of teakwood—where Ri s̄eīyng (Sound-Less), 2023, Nguyễn Trinh Thi’s ethereal sound installation, encodes the Mekong River’s ebbs and flows, through recorded movements of water turbines, into diaphanous sounds emitting from Thai ranat and flutes. Similarly, Citra Sasmita’s sprawling installation, titled Timur Merah project X: Theater in the Land of God and Beasts, 2023, with giant, gold-headed nagas whose bodies comprise crimson braids circumscribing a painting depicting fiery goddesses, presented a subtle nod toward the subterranean power of feminine spirituality.

 

Pa Ngew Road, Rop Wiang 053 716 605-7
9 December 2023 – 30 April 2024
 
 "Chiang Rai has had a long and complex history, stretching back to at least the thirteenth century. Our curatorial team embraces this history as our guide into the future. This Biennale emphasizes Chiang Rai’s past as the crucial foundation for appreciating the many facets of this vibrant and contemporary region. We present a concept for this year's art biennale based on the complex history of Chiang Rai that reveals the perspective of a small narrative, astounding cultural diversity, and a unique ecosystem. Thailand Biennale Chiang Rai 2023 will focus on Chiang Rai as a locus of artistic exploration and connection with other localities at the regional and global levels. The region will be showcased as a multicultural arena for cultural exchange and dialogue on contemporary issues in the post-Covid world."
 
Co-Artistic Directors : Rirkrit Tiravanija, Gridthiya Gaweewong
Curators : Angkrit Ajchariyasophon, Manuporn Luengaram