THE SERENITY OF MADNESS
APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL
JULY 4 – SEPTEMBER 10, 2016
MAIIAM CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM
A leading figure in contemporary film and art, Apichatpong Weerasethakul has developed a singular realist-surrealist style in which he portrays the everyday alongside supernatural elements suggesting a distortion between fact and folklore, the subconscious and the exposed, and various disparities of power. His work reveals stories often excluded in history in and out of Thailand: voices of the poor and the ill, marginalized beings, and those silenced and censored for personal and political reasons.
Curated by Gridthiya Gaweewong, this solo exhibition uniquely presents a selected survey of rarely-seen experimental short films and video installations by Weerasethakul, alongside his photography, drawings, sketches, and archival material that explore threads of socio-political commentary. His passionate positions regarding class, labor, sexuality, science and spirituality have informed his practice from early in his career to the present.
The exhibition is the first to be held at the newly opened MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Chiang Mai, a new edition to what is quickly becoming the country’s art and craft capital.