SINA WITTAYAWIROJ
22 OCT – 25 NOV, 2016
BRIDGE ART SPACE, BANGKOK
There are challenges inherent in working as contemporary conceptual artists in a climate of self-censorship and supression of free speech. There are things which cannot be explicitly said, but nevertheless need to be expressed.
Working within strict boundaries, extrinsic and intrinsic, can be frustrating, but at the same time pushing the envelope of what can be said out loud can be powerfully inspiring.
In his solo exhibition Beat Around The Bush, the culmination of years of practice, Sina Wittayawiroj keeps his cards close to his chest in examining one particular taboo, in video, digital art, painting and installation.
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An advantage of communicating through abstraction, as a contemporary artist, is that your message can be hidden and implied, for the viewer to discover or interpret.
If we deliberately obfuscate our meaning, this can lead to a lack of understanding, which might superficially seem disadvantageous. But is direct communication of a specific message necessary in the dialogue between the artist and the audience?
When we are hesitant or afraid of our own subject matter, blocking this dialogue becomes necessary, and we beat around the bush in our work.
We are a generation of artists where freedom of speech is inhibited and independent thought is frowned upon. Many Thai artists and creatives are searching for ways to maintain their practice by using this type of unclear communication. I have rarely chosen to be explicit in my means of expression, to be straightforward in my approach.
This doesn’t mean that we agree with the way our opinions and ideals are strictly quarantined. In this exhibition I highlight the blurring of expression, the freezing effect. Artists, audience and society at large won’t get anywhere, going round in circles in a maze of misinterpretation. The audience is invited to look for the evidence of my own orgasm, near washed away and distorted over time.
Even not speaking frankly could make life uncertain. In my bravery, I work to demonstrate my cowardice.
OCT 2016
Sina Wittayawiroj