THE PEOPLE & CULTURE
ARTS
at home, the work of Montien Boonma uses the ingredients of Buddhist
merit-making, such as gold leaf, bells and candle wax, to create pieces.
Politically motivated artwork defi nes a parallel movement in Thai con-
temporary art. In Thailand’s rapidly industrialising society, many artists
watched as rice fi elds became factories, the forests became asphalt and
the spoils went to the politically connected. Manit Sriwanichpoom is best
known for his Pink Man on Tour series, in which he depicted artist Som-
pong Thawee in a pink suit with a pink shopping cart amid Thailand’s
most iconic attractions. Vasan Sitthiket is more blatantly controversial and
uses mixed-media installations to condemn the players he views as cor-
rupt. His works have been banned in Thailand and criticised as anti-Thai.
In the 1990s there was a push to move art out of museums and into
public spaces. An artist and art organiser, Navin Rawanchaikul started
his ‘in-the-streets’ collaborations in his hometown of Chiang Mai and
then moved his ideas to Bangkok where he fi lled the city’s taxi cabs with
art installations, a show that literally went on the road. His other works
have a way with words, such as the mixed-media pieceWe Are the Chil-
dren of Rice (Wine) ( 2002 ) and his rage against the commercialisation of
museums in his epic painting entitled Super (M)art Bangkok Survivors
( 2004 ). This piece was inspired by the struggles of the Thai art com-
munity, which protested against the eff orts to turn the Bangkok Art and
Culture Centre into a shopping ‘experience’ instead of a museum.
Thai sculpture is often considered to be the strongest of the contem-
porary arts. Khien Yimsiri creats elegant human and mythical forms out
of bronze. Manop Suwanpinta moulds the human anatomy into fantastic
shapes that often intersect with technological features, such as hinged faces
that open to reveal inanimate content. Kamin Lertchaiprasert explores the
subject of spirituality and daily life in his sculptures, which often include
a small army of papier-mâché fi gures. HisNgern Nangg (Sitting Money) in-
stallation included a series of fi gures made from discarded paper bills from
the national bank embellished with poetic instructions on life and love.Music
Throughout Thailand you’ll fi nd a diversity of musical genres and styles,
from the serene court music that accompanies classical dance-drama to
the chest-thumping house music played at dance clubs.Classical Music
The classical orchestra is called the þèe pâhttand was originally developed
to accompany classical dance-drama and shadow theatre, but these days
can be heard in straightforward performances at temple fairs and tourist
attractions. The ensemble can include from fi ve to more than 20 players.
Prior to a performance the players off er incense and fl owers to thee đà·pohn.
The standard Thai scale divides the eight-note octave into seven full-
tone intervals, with no semitones. Thai scales were fi rst transcribed by theArt
Museums &
Galleries» (^) National Mu-
seum, Bangkok
» (^) Bangkok Art
and Culture
Centre
» (^) 100 Tonson Gal-
lery, Bangkok
» (^) H Gallery,
Bangkok
» (^) Kathmandu
Photo Gallery,
Bangkok
TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENTS
» (^) þèe – high-pitched woodwind, often heard at Thai-boxing matches
» rá·nâht èhk – bamboo-keyed percussion that resembles a xylophone
» (^) kórng wong yài – tuned gongs arranged in a semicircle
» (^) đà·pohn (tohn) – a double-headed hand-drum
» pĭn – four-stringed instrument plucked like a guitar
» (^) sor – slender bowed instrument with a coconut-shell soundbox
» (^) klòo·i – wooden flute