THE LATEST UPDATE COMING FROM BANGKOK ART BIENNALE (BAB) CONFIRMS THAT THEY ARE READY TO ROLL WITH THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMPLETE LINEUP OF 82 ARTISTS
TEXT: SUTEE NAKARAKORNKUL
PHOTO COURTESY OF BANGKOK ART BIENNALE EXCEPT AS NOTED
(For English, press here)
After the speculation that Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB), which was initially planning to take place at the end of this year, would have to be postponed or even canceled, the latest update coming from the organizer on August 27, 2020, confirms that they are ready to roll with the official announcement of the complete lineup of 82 artists in total.
The vibe at the press conference was very upbeat, unlike the human-less quietness witnessed outside ThaiBev Quarter due to the temporary closure of Queen Sirikit National Center, whose renovation won’t complete until the end of 2022. The first part of the conversation welcomes Kong Rithdee, who took the stage as the host, Professor Apinan Poshyananda, Art Director of BAB, and two other special guests, Thapanee Kiatpaiboon, the TAT’s executive director for product promotion, and Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). The discussion mostly highlights the attempt to put together the event under the pandemic situation and the hope for BAB, as the country’s first event after COVID-19 has begun to be resolved, to be a model event that will bring back the confidence and attraction to Thailand from travellers from around the world.
With the press conference’s relatively short schedule, the second part of the talk simultaneously followed without any break. After showing the VTR of artists’ lineup, the stage welcomed three Thai artists, Lampu Kansanoh, Michael Shaowanasai, and Ruangsak Anuwatwimon, who will also be participating in the event to talk with Rithdee and Poshyananda in a casual discussion about their works and thoughts on BAB. The talk continued in the same mood with Francois Roche and Rushdi Anwar, who took the stage next.
During a part of the talk, Poshyananda made a teasing observation about how formally Shaowanasai dressed, to which the artist replied with what seemed to be a well-prepared answer that he knew the day happened to be Poshyananda’s birthday, hence, the dress up. Speaking of Shaowanasai, I could not help but think about what she said on stage about how glad she felt that post-COVID Thailand would finally be hosting art festivals and with BAB being the pioneer, Shaowanasai’s shouting ”Pioneer is bitch’ was indeed a mood booster.