The Eighth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

or what her characters embody, inviting associations through objective symbolism rather than direct representation, presenting ‘not a human but a notion of a human’. 7 SYMBOLS OF COMMUNITY Whether a direct representation of a community group, a creation of transient networks and conglomerates of everyday routines, or what Steven Pettifor describes as ‘an egomaniacal requiem ensemble of the self’, various symbols reveal our sense of belonging and the constructs of social systems. 8 Navin Rawanchaikul’s Tales of Navin paintings 2013–15 assemble group portraits using myriad images of the artist himself. Like the vast movie-poster compositions he has created over the years that have depicted the merchants and residents of Warorot Market in Chiang Mai where he grew up and people who share the name ‘Navin’ throughout the world, the new series (constructed entirely of self-portraits) continues to investigate broader relationships and social history. This series also celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Navin Production Co. Ltd., a company interested in testing the concept of individual authorship and collaboration in cultural production: a performative means for exploring the possibility of collaboration in the highly individualised field of art, while raising questions about contemporary forms of corporate collaboration and their effects on culture and the environment. 9 Accompanying the series is a letter Rawanchaikul wrote to himself reflecting on his relationships, love, death and the loss of his mentor, pioneering Thai artist Montien Boonma, and Rawanchaikul’s trips to Australia to assist him in the 1990s. 10 Nge Lay’s work The sick classroom 2013 establishes a personal connection to community to address wider problems that face Myanmar, including a struggling NGE LAY Myanmar b.1979 The sick classroom (details) 2013 27 wooden sculptures, timber walls, 8 desks, 26 student accessories, 1 table, 1 chair; 15photographs,eds. 1/5;20-channelvideo, ed. 1/5 /8 x 8 x 2.5m (installed, approx.) / Proposed for theQueenslandArtGalleryCollection 134—135 THE SOCIAL MEDIUM