TWO HUNDRED ARTWORKS WERE SENT IN AND EXHIBITED OUTDOORS AS A PART OF AN EXHIBITION, ORGANIZED BY THE UNMUTED PROJECT, AS AN ANTI-DICTATORSHIP MOB
TEXT: WEE VIRAPORN
PHOTO: KETSIREE WONGWAN EXCEPT AS NOTED
(For Thai, press here)
One day in July of 2020, I saw the launch of a Facebook page that were calling themselves “Unmuted Project,” followed by an invitation that called for artists who were oppressed from freely expressing their thoughts to submit their works. The objective of the project was to organize an exhibition as an anti-dictatorship mob. Since then, I’d been following the page’s movements with great interest until I finally had a chance to see the exhibition held at Kru Angoon Garden in Thonglor in person.
It isn’t the case that Bangkok never had art exhibitions with political subject matters since the 2014 coup. Although, what has been happening is whenever there was a solo or group exhibition related to politics, words and whispers were going around about military officers visiting galleries, or artist friends who whispered to me about organizers or space owners asking them to revise or even censor some of the works. Under this threatening time, I got even more excited by the exhibition that is set up to create an opportunity for literally anyone. Two hundred artworks were sent in and exhibited outdoors, out of gallery and museum spaces, anonymously without any description or categorization.
With all eyes on the current political movement powerfully ignited by the youths, particularly school and university students, who have moved their online protest to the offline world, the works featured in this exhibition depict a similar shift. I was already familiar with some of the pieces, many by young illustrators who published their art through social media accounts. Many of the works encompass issues about education, the abuse of authoritarian power in schools and universities, including the subject matter that cannot be discussed freely and publicly. Having talked to the organizer, I realized that this exhibition was undeniably propelled by the youth. The organizing team members are all under 25 years of age, and many of the volunteers are school students, not to mention that some of the artists are younger than 15 years old.
Ignoring the discomfort of having police officers supervising the area for’ security’ purposes, I thought the exhibition went smoothly. I saw diverse groups of views, from children, adults, foreigners, family members, continually walking inside the exhibition space. Issues that had been vehemently discussed online, from the disappearances of political activists, shady behaviors of politicians which everyone knows for their infamy, to the twisted standard of the justice system, and other structural problems, becoming materialized into works of art, poetry, performances, and music of such diversity and vast numbers in this one space. It speaks volumes about how the state’s claim that the country is all fine and peaceful is contracting with the rumbling voices of the people who want to speak their minds. And art should be one of the apparatuses that can help make people’s voices be heard.
It could be people’s growing awareness and interest in politics, concerns over the worsening economic condition, the government’s incompetency, the unceremonious nature of the space and the way the exhibition was put together, or all these factors combined. Whatever the reasons may be, ‘Unmuted Project’ has succeeded in its role in representing the young generation, creating a platform, raising the roof, and changing society’s perception that ‘anything can be art, and art is inherently political.’
For those who missed it, Unmuted Project’s organizing team has informed that some of the works will be exhibited at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre on September 12th, 2020, as a part of Act สิ Art (Act Si Art) by FreeArts. The group also mentions that there are currently many organizers expressing their interest in collaborating with them.