"Shadow Dancing," a follow-up exhibition organized by the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand, will feature artworks by Taiwanese and Thai artists from March 17 through June 5 as part of an exchange program at The Jim Thompson Art Center.
Co-curated by the Bangkok-based Jim Thompson Art Center and the Taipei-based Hong Gah Museum, which initiated the experimental online exchange and artists' research residency under a telecollaboration between Thailand and Taiwan, the exhibition will present how participating artists explore contemporary artistic practice in social, political, economic, and cultural contexts of Taiwan and Thailand through art.
The theme "Shadow Dancing" symbolizes a shadow play, in which the artists and the museum combine their resources in a dark time when the world is challenged by the COVID-19 crisis, reminding people of the hidden aspects of reality, and revealing their understanding of Taiwanese and Thai culture through their own narratives. The featured works include video, installation, video games, and documents. Eight artists illustrate their thoughts and imaginations of historical narrative, politics, languages, and media of the Taiwanese and Thai history from multiple contexts, perspectives, and dialogues.
The featured artists include Enkaryon Ang (印卡), Cheng Ting-ting (鄭亭亭), Tseng Yen-yu (曾嬿圩), Lin Yi-chun (林怡君) from Taiwan; and Chunlayarnnont Siriphol, Kridpuj Dhansandors, Panachai Chaijirarat, Sornrapat Pattharakorn from Thailand.
Supported by the Ministry of Culture to encourage artists and curators to continue creations and research despite the impacts of the COVID-19, the exhibition will also be held in Hong Gah Museum from April. Through showcasing these works in both Taiwan and Thailand, the exhibition is expected to prompt more exchanges between the two sides and elicit reflections of the audiences.
The online exchange program was proposed by Gridthiya Gaweewong, artist director of the Jim Thompson Art Center and member of Southeast Asia Advisory Committee, which co-organized the "Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects between (the Regions of) South East Asia and Taiwan (新南向海外交流專題計畫)” with the Ministry of Culture since 2020.