Abandoned printing house becomes new home for art in Yaowarat
Yaowarat, also known as Thailand's Chinatown, is one of the most iconic attractions worldwide, distinguished by its atmosphere and street food.
The buildings and unique architecture of this area are more than 50 years old, including Watana Phanit, an abandoned printing house. This old printing house has now been transformed into a new art space named Bangkok Kunsthalle.
Back in the flourishing days, Watana Phanit was known as an important printing house for publishing text books for Thai students. Despite the fire that burned Watana Phanit down approximately 20 years ago, the structure of the building still stood strong and waited for visitors to unlock its golden age again.
Marisa Chearavanont, the founder of the Chef Care Foundation and adviser to the Charoen Pokphand Group, has revived this historic printing house into a new art space named Bangkok Kunsthalle. The first showcased collection at Bangkok Kunsthalle called Nine Plus Five Works, was created by Michel Auder, the American-French filmmaker.
Nine Plus Five Works are divided into two groups: the complexity of nature (nine pieces), and the evolution of Auder's works through the years using various storytelling techniques (five pieces).
The highlight of this exhibition includes two exclusive pieces illustrating the rhythm of Bangkok: “Flowers of Thailand” (2023) and “Yaowarat” (2023).
In the first set of works, Auder frequently expresses his connection with nature in terms of time. He describes how the representation of nature led to the development of a specific editing technique to catch the subtle temporality of natural phenomena.
In his influential film “Voyage to the Centre of the Phone Lines”, (1993), Auder combined the secret recordings of anonymous mobile phone conversations with a seascape without a human in sight.
“Domaine de la Nature” (2023) is a collage of natural landscapes employing prolonged panoramic shots and a slow rhythm.
“I am So Jealous of Birds II” (2011) is a video haiku of New York City birds.
Finally, one of the exclusive pieces, “Flowers of Thailand” (2023), is a two-screen installation created in Bangkok, which evokes an epistolary link between form and colour.
In the second group of works, a selection of chronicles, travelogues, personal diaries, video portraits, video poems, and personal reflections unveiled Auder's preference for editing and filming techniques that allow for the emergence of multiple narratives.
“Yaowarat’ (2023), the second exclusive piece of this exhibition, illustrates a daily scene of Bangkok street life, with people doing their routines synchronously without communicating.
“Cindy Sherman” (1988), “Florence” (1975), and “Alice Neel Painting Margaret” (1978 ed. 2009) are also remarkable poetic documentations of artists' creative process in their studios.
Auder revealed that despite the pandemic causing interruptions in creating his works, he decided to isolate himself in nature, and filmed the landscape in one of his collections for this exhibition.
Nine Plus Five Works by Michel Auder is being held at Bangkok Kunsthalle from January 12 to February 11.
