The Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, Australia, 1996 : Report

I have spent two years creating the works of Problem-Wisdom. First year, I focused on the problems I could see by reading daily newspapers. Every single day, I would choose an article that impressed me, and then cut it out and collect it. The rest of [the] newspaper was soaked in water and then sculptured in a form, consistent with the article. Then the piece of the cut out article would be pasted up on the texture of that sculpture. Second year, I have tried to use wisdom in trying to understand the cause of the problem. Each day I would work on one piece of sculpture and consider the problem mentioned in that . . . article until I could learn to understand this specific problem. Then I would write my point of view about that problem on the texture of that sculpture. Chatchai Puipia, a mu ltimedia artist who works in painting, sculpture and installation, has emerged as one of Thailand's most socially critical artists. H is paintings from the series 'Siamese smile' are large, grotesque self-portraits, incorporating elements from Buddhist iconography and popular culture. The cynicism underlying the paintings makes a provocative statement on overt nationalism, consumerism and human behaviour, with specific allusions to the contemporary Thai art scene. I n his statement the artist describes the 'Siamese smile' as: . . . an ancient kind of smile in the 'mai pen rai - Never mind I It's Ok etc' family. Its origin is not known but it can be found running wild around the country especially at social events such as art exhibition openings. . . It's a kind of smile that has evolved from the original . A smile without much substance. A smile without meaning. An ugly smile. A smile that ignores the poor, the rich and the ruined environment. It's a deceptive smile. Navin Rawanchaikul is a pivotal figure behind the Chiang Mai Social I nstallation Festival and is a highly-regarded installation artist. A dialogue with oneself is an i nteractive instal lation which includes 1 1 5 different objects presented individually on each of the 1 1 5 days of the exhibition. The artist says about this work that it was created 'with the purpose of hopefully changing the habits of people in terms of what they expect when looking at a piece of art. It is also directed towards so-called admirers, who search for a particular meaning while looking at art. I n reference to this work I would like those admirers to observe the chosen objects for what they actually are. Do not question the meaning or search for different meanings in an art work' . 21