Special Talk
Judha Su:
Artistic practices in straightjacket：
Case studies from Thailand

Judha Su is an art writer from Bangkok, Thailand. Her current research project is “Thinking in Critical Constellations: art criticism and its practice in Indonesia, Philippines, and Japan” under a fellowship from Asia Centre Japan Foundation. Her writing focuses on knowledge production, pedagogy, and critical theories. Besides visual art, she is also fond of literature and theatre work.

Time & Date: 16:30〜18:00 on 9 September 2016
Venue: Global Arts Postgraduate Student Room, Daigaku Kaikan 2F, Ueno Music Faculty Campus

Guest Speaker: Judha Su (Art Writer, Thailand)
Discussant: Yoshitaka Mori (Tokyo University of the Arts, Sociologist)

Language: English, No translation available
All welcome.

Presentation Abstract：

Political correctness has become a truism embraced by most discussions and arguments about contemporary art regarding its political undertaking in Thailand, whilst the notion of “politicality” has been taken for granted, it is also a misnomer that masks the artist’s obligation to the priorities of politics in the art world. Especially during the ongoing politi- cal transition in Thailand looms large over the sky, art becomes curiously uncritical about the very sense of normativity it deploys —- celebrating its seemingly critical position through a dichotomy, a polarisation, and a psuedo-autonomy, art has falsely been identi- fied as a representation of ideology, and easily accepted by the public with further critical inquiry. This situation indicates the poverty of critical thinking and sophistication either in academia or public area, thus this presentation aims to examine a political nature of art which has been trivialised, or even worse, completely dismissed in any discussion about politicality of art in Thailand.

“Artistic practices in straightjacket” aims to explore the ontologically unexamined area within the universe of Thai contemporary art. With artistic practices of four young artist from Thailand: Orawan Arunrak, Pisitakun Kuantalaeng, Nut Sawasdee, and Thepnara Kongsawang, I would like to assert a working way of apprehending a political nature of art as well as to rework the notion of aesthetics in relationship with politics, and to shred notions people usually happily go by with: politically and socially engaged art. And, there- fore, to find a point of departure from political conformity of art in whichever form it attrib- utes to a politics of aesthetics which is inherently existing in artistic practices — being ei- ther a form of becoming life of art or a form of resistance which always co-exists.

Orawan Arunrak
http://www.orawanarunrak.com/
http://orawanarunrak.tumblr.com/

Pisitakun Kuantalaeng
http://cargocollective.com/pisitakun/About http://pisitakun.blogspot.com/ http://www.bangkokpost.com/print/458721/

Nut Sawasdee
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B91Mh4SDQuHnUXFOLVNkQ3RTS2M

Thepnara Kongsawang
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiOubE2TFcfyq5BGCHpjDmg
http://www.bangkokpost.com/print/768772/