VERY THAI Outdoor Photo Exhibition
ZEN Department Store outdoor gallery, Ratchaprasong, Bangkok. Site visited by approximately 4 million people.
24 September 2012 to February 2013
Outdoor exhibition of 122 photographs on 72 2-metre long panels. Principal photographer was Philip Cornwel-Smith, with invited work by Dow Wasiksiri, John Goss and Austin Bush. It was displayed for over 4 months, through the high tourist season at Bangkok’s most-visited shopping district at Ratchaprasong intersection, opposite the famous Erawan Shrine. The exhibition was beside Bangkok’s main Christmas tree decorations and at main New Year countdown site, at Central World plaza. An estimated 4 million people visited the site during the duration of the show.
The 122 images were drawn largely from the Very Bangkok book, and some from the later-published Very Bangkok book, plus a few related images by other invited photographers. It was an initiative of Serindia Gallery and ZEN department store.
The photographs were displayed on high quality all-weather stickers on metal stands around 2 metres long. Each had a text panel explaining the image and its cultural context.
PRESS RELEASE
Serindia Gallery & Public Art Initiative: VERY THAI at ZEN | Bangkok lacks public art. Every inch of available outdoor space is often a market bazaar. When the outdoor space at ZEN became available, Serindia Gallery proposed VERY THAI, an exhibition based on a best-selling book. With permission from its publisher River Books, we started to work with Philip Cornwel-Smith, VERY THAI's author and principal photographer, to present the first VERY THAI exhibition in front of ZEN on Rama I Road at the Rajaprasong intersection in Bangkok. The exhibition can be seen from the busiest section of the BTS bridge (between Siam and Central Chidlom), and accessible from the ground level. VERY THAI is colorful, vibrant, meaningful, and full of life - for everyone to enjoy. Serindia Gallery expresses sincere thanks to the following individuals for allowing this idea to become a reality - Allan Namchaisiri (ZEN), Kantaphon Phanitrat (Central Pattana), M.L. Narisara Chakabongse (River Books), Paisarn Piammattawat (River Books), and the team at ZEN, River Books, and Serindia Gallery. Principal photographer: Philip Cornwel-Smith; Contributing photographers: John Goss, Daw Wasiksiri, Austin Bush, Paisarn Piammattawat. Graphic Design: Natthaphat Meksriwan (Serindia Gallery). Exhibition runs from 24 September - 6 December 2012 (extended to February 2013) at ZEN, outdoor Rajaprasong intersection. For more information, visit www.verythai.com / Facebook www.facebook.com/verythai. Public art projects NEED corporate sponsorship - for this and future corporate sponsorship opportunities, contact ZEN or Serindia Gallery. ENJOY the show and make it your own "VERY THAI"!
INTRODUCTION PANEL
VERY THAI: Everyday Popular Culture
Main photographer: Philip Cornwel-Smith
Contributing photographers: John Goss, Dow Wasiksiri & Austin Bush
This exhibition is inspired by the bestselling book Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture, by longtime resident Philip Cornwel-Smith. It celebrates the charming ways and extraordinary ordinary things that make Thailand tick.
The details of daily living tell a lot about a place. Thai culture is famed for its traditional icons, but Thainess also shines in the normal lifestyles of Thais — in their streets, homes, markets, beliefs, festivals, food and social life. These pictures show Thailand exactly as you find it.
The photographs are mainly by Philip Cornwel-Smith. Many are recent; some are drawn from the book Very Thai, along with the photographs by John Goss. Contributing photographers Dow Wasiksiri and Austin Bush add their acclaimed wry views of this engaging subject. The pictures have been headlined under themes to show the dazzling variety that makes time in Thailand such a delight.
Everyone encounters the popular culture much more often than they experience formal traditions. But pop often doesn’t get considered as seriously as ‘high culture’. As commonplace things are so familiar to locals, they rarely get explained to visitors. Yet the mundane can also be special. Short texts under each photograph explain the hidden order and meaning behind the sometimes chaotic surface of Thai streetlife.
Thai tolerance for diversity and flair for impromptu design makes for a quirky procession of surprises. This unpredictable quality is an attraction in itself – and one reason vibrant Bangkok keeps getting voted the world’s best destination city.
There is some nostalgia in these pictures. Many show objects and activities that date from an era – the second half of the 20th century – when Thailand was a developing nation. It was an exciting, simpler time when Thais modernised their traditions, Siamised foreign imports, and created new hybrids. A lot of this vernacular pop is now enjoying a retro revival.
The Thainess seen in these photos isn’t just about traditions or iconic objects, but is a creative process that continues to adapt modernity to suit the Thai people. This way of doing things is filtered through Thai values like Buddhism, etiquette, folk beliefs, spicy tastes, and social traits including sabai (ease), saduak (convenience), and sanuk, the sensibility for fun.
Modern Thai things may often relate to something found abroad, but the difference here is so distinctive they couldn’t be in any other land. Sometimes there may be simply no explanation for what you see round the next corner, except to say it’s “very Thai.”
THE PHOTOGRAPHS
Contact the photographers or order prints of photographs via their websites:
Philip Cornwel-Smith (www.verythai.com, bangkokist@gmail.com)
John Goss (www.siamorama.com)
Dow Wasiksiri (www.dowwasiksiri.com)
Austin Bush (www.austinbushphotography.com)
THE BOOK
Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture, published by River Books, is available for 995 baht from ZEN, HardCover and leading bookstores.
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