THE CLOSING CHAPTER OF THE COMMEMORATION OF MONTIEN BOONMA AT THE DHAMMAKOSANA LIBRARY, WAT UMONG, FEATURING THE DOCUMENTARY, DISCUSSION AND RECREATED WORKS BY NAVIN RAWANCHAIKUL
TEXT: TUNYAPORN HONGTONG
PHOTO COURTESY OF NAVIN PRODUCTION
(For Thai, press here)
Four years ago, at the tranquil Wat Umong Meditation Center in Chiang Mai, Navin Rawanchaikul mounted an evocative exhibition titled ‘Departed < > Revisited’ to mark two decades since the passing of Montien Boonma, his beloved mentor and an illustrious figure in the art world.
The exhibition opened over the final weekend of 2020, showcasing both reimagined works of Montien by Navin and his team, as well as new works by Navin, crafted as homages to his late teacher. It was a vibrant forum, hosting spirited panel discussions with a cadre of Montien’s contemporaries and acquaintances—artists, curators, professors, and writers—who delved into his artistic legacy and exchanged rich dialogues on the evolving narratives in contemporary art. In collaboration with Montien Atelier, the event extended into the Dharma Riddle Pavilion with a joint exhibit, while a parallel show titled ‘Becoming Stupa’ was featured at the DC Collection. Navin Production also introduced a comic book, ‘Guess What’s in the Tunnel?’, encapsulating the storied past of Wat Umong itself (The title ‘Guess What’s in the Tunnel?’ cleverly alludes to the name of the venue, as ‘Umong’ translates to ‘tunnel’ in Thai). True to Navin’s distinctive style, the exhibition was a full-scale affair.
However, one ambition that Navin Rawanchaikul had not fulfilled as planned four years ago was the creation of a book dedicated to the works of Montien Boonma. As such the books Navin publishes alongside his exhibitions are envisioned as a companion and as an archive to provide insights for future scholarly pursuits. Navin had actually laid the groundwork for this publication back during the ‘Revisited < > Departed’ exhibit at BANGKOK CITYCITY GALLERY in 2019.
By last July, it was disclosed that Navin would orchestrate the closing event for the ‘Departed < > Revisited’, which would include both a documentary screening and a book launch. It became clear that he would not only finally achieve his initial intention for the project, but also that throughout nearly four years, while engaging in other ventures like the Thailand Biennale, Navin had persistently explored and reflected upon Montien’s artistic legacy.
This culminating gathering spanned two days, August 16-17, 2023. Day one’s agenda kicked off with a documentary screening at the Dhammakosana Library, Wat Umong, segueing into an afternoon talk. The discussions covered topics on film and book production, the relationship between art and Buddhism (featuring contributions from Pramual Pengchan) , and concluded with a dharma video lecture by the revered Buddhist monk and thinker, Phra Paisal Visalo.
The documentary, spanning 3 hours and 10 minutes, utilizes letters Navin wrote to Montien as its screenplay, weaving a narrative accompanied by images of people from Montien’s life whom Navin and his team had met and conversed with, thereby bringing the stories in the letters to life. Instead of relying solely on Navin’s voiceover, the film invites these individuals to alternately voice the segments of the letters that pertain to them.
The film progresses in a straightforward manner. But the diverse cast of contributors: artists, curators, gallery owners, notable writers, and skilled yet perhaps unrecognized artists were previously depicted in the artwork ‘Black Question’ (After Montien Boonma) (2020), created for the ‘Departed < > Revisited’ exhibit four years earlier. This familiarity makes it easier for the audience to connect with the personal stories, memories, and detailed, tangible images related to Montien.
As the film stitches together these diverse yet interlinked personal narratives and recollections, my own memories as a viewer, distanced from these stories for four years, were gradually pieced back together.
One particular aspect that captivated my interest the most from watching the documentary was a persistent question that seemed to revolve in Navin’s mind, reflected through the ‘letters’ used as a narrative tool in the film. According to Pramual Pengchan, writing letters provide the most straightforward medium for expressing Navin’s inner thoughts and feelings. This prevailing question touches upon Navin’s own artistic process, especially in this exhibition, which faced significant criticism for recreating Montien’s works.
The intersection of art and criticism is a well-trodden path, as even Navin’s daughter, embarking on her own artistic journey abroad, faces similar critiques from her peers. This isn’t Navin’s first rodeo with critical scrutiny nor the first time such existential quandaries have surfaced in his artistic and personal odyssey. Perhaps it’s what Worathep Akkabootara, the curator, illuminates in his writings that the endless string of question marks and exclamation marks in Montien’s oeuvre, endlessly linked, imply that every discovery to an answer merely unfurls more questions.
Although Navin hoped this exhibition would be a tribute to the person ‘who has departed,’ allowing us to ‘revisit’ and rediscover things we might have overlooked or forgotten, he does not provide a definitive answer to what he has found. Over the two days of the event, there were no reactions, either positive or negative, publicly or privately, to that piece of criticism. However, having followed his artistic trajectory for over two decades, it’s clear that ‘sincerity’ resonates through each of his creations—a sentiment echoing the simple advice he imparts to his daughter about making, that it should, quite simply, ‘speak to us.’
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The installation ‘The ‘Vipassana-Vessel’ (1993), reconstructed by Navin from Montien Boonma’s original work in 2020, has been permanently installed in the Dharma Riddle Pavilion, alongside the displays of information and archival images from the ‘Departed < > Revisited’ exhibition. Meanwhile, ‘Black Question’ (After Montien Boonma) (2020) has been relocated to an outdoor space at Navin’s StudiOK.