January 10, 2019
The exhibition will run from March through next year.
“Spectrosynthesis II- Exposure of Tolerance: LGBTQ in Southeast Asia”, the largest-ever survey of regional contemporary art, will explore gender issues and feature more than 200 works by 50 artists.
It will open at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) on November 23 and run until March 1 next year.
The exhibition received huge critical acclaim when it was first staged in Taiwan 2017, after which its Hong Kong-based organiser, the Sunpride Foundation, chose Bangkok as its second stop.
“Bangkok is my second home and Thailand is the most friendly LGBT country in Asia and the more liberal nation,” said Patrick Sun, founder of Sunpride Foundation.
“Taiwan is the one of the most progressive places as far as LGBT rights are concerned.
“So is Thailand. We are already talking about same-sex marriages in Taiwan and now we are also talking about same-sex civil partnerships in Thailand.
“It’s very similar,” he said, adding that the contemporary art scene here is also vibrant and features many major art exhibitions in the Kingdom.
BACC director Pawit Mahasarinand added that besides the art show, the art centre would also host film screenings, live performances and international symposiums on gender-related issues as well as other educational outreach programmes.
“There have been major LGBTQ shows in Europe in recent years but with the second Spectrosynthesis that invites artists with roots in Asia, we are able to share a more distinctively Asian narrative,” said Thai curator Chatvichai Promadhattavedi, a former BACC director.
“The show will be the platform to exchange dialogue with the general public.”