THE TURKISH Embassy will on Thursday present for the first time in Thailand a ballet about the Ottoman Empire admiral and cartographer Piri Reis, a key figure in world maritime history.

The two-act ballet will be staged at the National Theatre in Bangkok as part of a series of cultural-exchange events celebrating the 60th anniversary of Thai-Turkish diplomatic relations. There is no admission charge.

The Culture Ministry in September gave Turks a taste of Thai culture with shows in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir that featured khon masked dance, muay thai kick-boxing, films, photography and fashion shows laden with silk.

And Turkey returned the favour last month with a dramatic fashion show of its own and exhibitions of dance and photography at the National Theatre.

On Thursday, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism is presenting the Samsun State Opera and Ballet in a performance of “Piri Reis”, a portrait in music and dance of the great navigator who drew his groundbreaking map of the world in 1513.

Unesco declared 2013 – the 500th anniversary of that feat – as the Year of Commemoration of Piri Reis. Piri’s “Kitab-i Bahriye” (“Book of the Sea”) charted ports and courses around the Mediterranean that sailors used for centuries.

Born Haci Ahmed Muhiddin Piri (Reis is a title signifying a ship’s captain), Piri was a privateer in his youth and later an admiral in the Ottoman navy, participating in the conquest of Egypt.

He was not an explorer, but rather based his maps on those of others such as Christopher Columbus, including a second world map in 1528 that showed North America from Labrador to the Caribbean.

Despite his achievements, Piri met a dark end. In 1553, at nearly 90 years of age, he declined his governor’s request to wage another campaign against the Portuguese and was beheaded.

Inspired by his amazing life and historical importance, Turkish choreographers Armagan Davran and Volkan Ersoy created the ballet “Piri Reis” with music by famed composer and compatriot Can Atilla.

It had its world premiere at the State Opera and Ballet of Mersin in 2013.

Piri’s world maps with their atlas of references and descriptions comes to life on the stage in multicoloured scenes presented by 30 actors and crewmembers.

There will also be an exhibition of photographs capturing all the appeal of Turkish culture and the beauty of the country’s landscapes.

>> “Piri Reis” is being staged at the National Theatre in Bangkok on Thursday at 6.30pm. Admission is free.

>> Reserve seats by calling (089) 815 7112 or (02) 224 1342 or emailing turkishcultural2018@gmail.|com.

IN A crowded dark room, Syria’s last shadow puppeteer crouches on stage, holding two intricate figures against a brightly lit silk screen and voicing their animated chatter.

Hiding inside his booth and moving the silhouettes around on sticks, Shadi al-Hallaq gave a proud performance last week after his disappearing art finally received international recognition.

The war-battered country’s shadow theatre has secured a coveted place on the UN’s list of world treasures.

“When they rang to congratulate me, it was like a day dream,” says the puppeteer, a slim 43-year-old wearing a dark grey suit and warm beige scarf.

Syrian children watch a performance by the country’s last shadow puppeteer Shadi al-Hallaq in Damascus./AFP

His two star characters – the naive but charming Karakoz and clever friend Eiwaz – would finally receive the limelight they deserved, he adds.

“There’s no one in Syria who masters the art except me,” says Hallaq, who learned it from his late father, a famed storyteller who performed in one of the capital’s oldest coffee shops.

“There are no regular shows anymore, though I have given performances in a few places over the past years,” explains the puppeteer, who previously worked as a taxi driver.

The advent of digital entertainment as well as mass displacement due to conflict have contributed to the gradual decline of the art in Syria, the United Nations says.

Only a few such performers existed in the country before the war broke out in 2011, and a leading shadow puppeteer has since gone missing.

Traditionally, shadow plays were held in coffee shops.

A bright light would project the silhouettes of the puppets onto a silk screen, usually accompanied by dialogue and music.

Syria’s last shadow puppeteer Shadi al-Hallaq is seen moving his puppets Karakoz, right, and Eiwaz, left, from inside his booth during a presentation in Damascus./AFP

Often including humorous social commentary, they would star Karakoz and Eiwaz, as well as female characters and talking animals.

Hallaq’s characters are crafted from cow leather, their clothes cut out with decorative patterns and painted with watercolours “so the light can shine through”.

Karakoz is short and dons a large red hat, while Eiwaz sports an elegant moustache.

As they move around before an arched alleyway, their witty banter entertains all generations.

“My audience are old and young – from three years old to old men in coffee shops,” Hallaq says.

Syrian last shadow puppeteer Shadi al-Hallaq holds his puppets Karakoz and Eiwaz./AFP

The art form is said to be centuries old, long before the war that has killed 360,000 people and displaced millions from their homes.

Some say Karakoz and Eiwaz are typical Syrians from Damascus, while others say they are in fact originally Turkish.

Since the United Nations cultural agency Unesco classified his art as “in need of urgent safeguarding”, Hallaq says things have been looking up for his art and its two stars.

“I thought I would have to bury them” away, he says. But now “a bright future awaits them in Syria. I will tour with them all over the country.”

FANTASY, some of it light-hearted, much of it dark, dominates the National Gallery these days, with four of its galleries devoted to the surrealistic paintings of Her Serene Highness the late Princess Marsi Sukhumbhand Paribatra that explore the dynamics of duality – beauty and ugliness, life and death.

“Beauty and Ugliness: Aesthetic of Marsi” greets the visitor with a large-sized photograph of the princess and her pets at her studio in the mountain-ringed village of Annot in the south of France, where she lived for more than 40 years. Alongside is her quote: “Art reflects life and death, I will use my talents to convey it.”

“Commedia della Morte” (“Comedy of Death”)

Her passion is clearly reflected in her 1980 painting “Commedia della Morte” (“Comedy of Death”) in which the skeleton of a puppeteer is controlling a female actor in a stage play as if to point out that life is like a play – it doesn’t last long and eventually, all players end up dying.

“Je Me Souviens” (“I Remember”, 1992) also depicts a skeletal figure gazing at the portrait of a beautifully dressed lady to pinpoint the ephemeral quality of life.

“Je Me Souviens” (“I Remember”)

Her fanciful and eccentric works merge Greek mythology and Renaissance architecture in oriental decorations. An assemblage of animals and animal-headed humanoids against natural background, as well as naked female figures, skeletons and skulls are always incorporated.

This is the third solo show in Bangkok organised by the Marsi Foundation and follows on from earlier exhibitions in 2010 and 2013. The princess, who was 82 when she passed away having suffered a stroke some years before, was the daughter of His Royal Highness Prince Chumbhot and MR Pantip Paribatra and spent most of her life in France. She was little known in her homeland, but was celebrated internationally and often exhibited in Paris and Provence.

A visitor takes a picture of Princess Marsi Paribatra’s “Donne Moi ta Main” (“Give Me Your Hand”) 

“From the more than 100 of works in the collection of the Marsi Foundation, I’ve selected about 40 paintings centred on the theme of beauty and ugliness. Many of them have never been shown here before. The Princess’ personal items such as paintbrushes, palettes, sketchbooks, records and books on music, art and anatomy that were her source of study and inspiration are also displayed to reflect the strong passion of the Princess to pursue her artistic career,” says the exhibition’s curator, Asst Prof Dr Supachai Areerungruang.

 Princess Marsi’s personal collection of books on art history and anatomy as well as horror stories that inspired many of her works is on display.

Although the Princess showed artistic talent as a child, she did not take up serious studies in painting until the age of 30, when surrealism was in full bloom in France. Self-trained, she learned from the masterpieces in the museums and was also advised on proper methods and techniques by some of her artist friends.

The four galleries are arranged in such a way as to deliver four key messages – beauty, ugliness, chronology and art history, and truth.

The room themed around the concept of beauty displays Marsi’s paintings of animals, flowers and landscapes in contrasts of light and shade. “Her early works were small scale and focused on natural landscapes and rock textures in monotones inspired by traditional Chinese ink paintings. The figures of herself and mythical animals, which came about as a result of her passion for literature, began to show later and were composed in Renaissance style with intricate details,” says Supachai, who is also an art instructor at Srinakarinwirot University.

In addition to her doctorate degree in literature from the University of Paris and in art history from the University of Madrid, the Princess learned much from the Renaissance masters. Her series of different flowers combined to form images of parrots was inspired by the 16th-century artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, famed for his portraits of people with heads formed entirely of fruits, vegetables and flowers.

From Bosch, Titian, Botticello and Bellini, Marsi learned composition, poses and the delicate rendering of elaborate costumes. In Joseph Redoute’s work, she discovered botanical accuracy, right down to foreshortening the petals of a blossom.

 “La Mort aux Dents”

The next room is full of glass cabinets displaying Marsi’s collection of vinyl, mostly classical music by Chopin, Mozart and Beethoven as well as art books on Hokusai and Botticello. Books on anatomy and horror stories were also among her favourites. The book “Horror Stories Selected by Herbert van Thal” whose cover shows half a skull and half a woman’s face was the source of inspiration for the princess’s 1985 painting “La Mort aux Dents” featuring a woman’s face partially covered with a skull, flowers and trees.

Marsi fell in love with the charms of Annot and set up her studio there in 1970, naming her residence Vellara. It was home to a menagerie of cats, dogs and chickens and other birds. She fed more than 100 birds in her studio and the birds flew around freely. While painting, she listened to classical music. On display in the exhibition are her piano, her painting tools and an shielded easel (to protect against bird droppings).

 “Le Bal” (“The Ball”)

Her animals were her favourite models, as in the “Le Mariage Mystique du Prince Noui Noui a Vellara” (“The Mystical Marriage of Prince Noui Noui at Vellara”, 2003), which is considered her masterpiece. The painting depicts an extravagant wedding party, with herself and her beloved pet, a Saint Bernard named Noui Noui, among an assembly of animals, imaginary beasts and animal-headed humanoids. Her basset hounds, cats and parrots are also portrayed in “Le Bal” (“The Ball”, 1989) with the beasts in a masquerade.

Another room shows the chronology of Marsi from her birth in 1931 to the present day that is synchronised with the timeline of major events in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

“L’Arche de Noe” (“Noah’s Ark”)

The Renaissance style influence with rendering of light and shadow to create an illusion of depth and the complexity of arrangements and the physical relationship between humans, animals and objects and the landscape around them appear in many of her works such as “L’Arche de Noe” (“Noah’s Ark”, 1992) with different beasts embarking on the ship to escape the flood and “Le Mur” (“The Wall”, 1985) – a long zigzag wall separating a dreamlike land from desperate space.

Her painting tools and an easel showing the painting “Le Mur” (“The Wall”).

Also on show are several of her sketches that have never been shown. Each of her paintings was extremely time consuming because she made her own canvas frame and prepared a sketch before applying different layers of oil. She wrote with her left land but always wielded a brush with her right, but a stroke in 2004 paralysed that side and she never painted again.

 Flynow has launched a special collection of clothing and accessories bearing some patterns from Princess Marsi’s paintings. 

Photographer and filmmaker Shane Bunnag has produced a short documentary for the exhibition, merging footage of Princess Marsi with interviews with her friends in Annot.

And fashion label Flynow has launched the Marsi x Flynow collection by translating some of the Princess’ paintings into clothing and accessories such as T-shirts, shirts, dresses, scarves and bags.

A file photo shows Princess Marsi with her beloved Saint Bernard, Noui Noui.

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

“Beauty and Ugliness: Aesthetic of Marsi” continues until December 23 at the National Gallery on Chao Fah Road of Bangkok.

The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, from 9am to 6.30pm.

Call (02) 281 2224 or keep updated at http://www.MarsiFoundation.org.

ARGENTINEAN-Spanish artist Felipe Pantone has four of his kinetic, optical and futuristic works on view at Siam Center in Bangkok until December 31. The atrium has also been transformed into a “W3-Dimensional Park” filled with immersion experiences.

“What I’m doing lately is an extraction of creativity, imagination and sheer excitement,” he says. “I think it has the potential to be the ‘artwork of the year’ because it brings together the worlds of advanced digital technology and art.

Felipe Pantone

“My Original Arts 2018 series will be unveiled for the first time, too – ‘Chromadynamica#81’ and ‘Chromadynamica#82’, ‘Oprichromie#107’ and ‘Subtractive Variability#25. These were formed using high-level spraying techniques, seamlessly delivering colour gradients on large planes of canvas – all done by hand.”

Standing on the shoulders of op-art stars like Victor Vasarely and Carlos Cruz-Diez, Pantone seeks to create the sensation of vibration as the viewer’s position changes. For this he uses modelling software that allows for 3D views of his frescoes, murals, paintings and sculptures and lends tactile merit to what exists only in the digital world.

 Chromadynamica#81

“The exhibition’s centrepiece, ‘Phenomenon’, is a product of innovative design and special craftsmanship exclusively tailored for Siam Center,” he says.

The installation ‘W3-Dimen-shional Park’ was designed for 10×10 square metres as a three-dimensional extravaganza, combining kinetic art with optical illusion techniques.

“The artwork will manipulate the way people see, tricking the eyes using layers of art pieces, various geometrical objects, interchangeably switching between colours and monochrome.

W3-Dimensional Park

“Using computer-generated 3D moulds, viewers can experience a sensory overload through contemporary artwork where they can explore various shapes like electric bolt, rainbow, and monochromatic objects. Inspired by the World Wide Web as a three-dimensional space made of countless elements, unexpected configurations, and infinite data, it’s unlike anything you’ve seen before, and it’s exclusive to this event.”

W3-Dimensional Park

Recognised by his peers and the industry as a game-changer, Pantone has a wide-ranging repertoire spanning installations, paintings and murals in unusual settings. The Internet and the ways it has transformed the way people inspires most of his work, resulting in a crossover type of artwork between glitch effects and op-art.

The artist gained fame with street murals at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Centre and Long Beach Museum of Art in the US and at the Palais de Tokyo in France, and with a painting on the bridge across the Guadalmedina River in Spain.

Siam Center’s new Christmas tree draws on Pantone’s work and can be seen from Rama I Road. It’s an assembly of triangles forming a pyramid, illuminating with colours and dazzling lights.

FANTASY, some of it light-hearted, much of it dark, dominates the National Gallery these days, with four of its galleries devoted to the surrealistic paintings of Her Serene Highness the late Princess Marsi Sukhumbhand Paribatra that explore the dynamics of duality – beauty and ugliness, life and death.

“Beauty and Ugliness: Aesthetic of Marsi” greets the visitor with a large-sized photograph of the princess and her pets at her studio in the mountain-ringed village of Annot in the south of France, where she lived for more than 40 years. Alongside is her quote: “Art reflects life and death, I will use my talents to convey it.”

“Commedia della Morte” (“Comedy of Death”)

Her passion is clearly reflected in her 1980 painting “Commedia della Morte” (“Comedy of Death”) in which the skeleton of a puppeteer is controlling a female actor in a stage play as if to point out that life is like a play – it doesn’t last long and eventually, all players end up dying.

“Je Me Souviens” (“I Remember”, 1992) also depicts a skeletal figure gazing at the portrait of a beautifully dressed lady to pinpoint the ephemeral quality of life.

“Je Me Souviens” (“I Remember”)

Her fanciful and eccentric works merge Greek mythology and Renaissance architecture in oriental decorations. An assemblage of animals and animal-headed humanoids against natural background, as well as naked female figures, skeletons and skulls are always incorporated.

This is the third solo show in Bangkok organised by the Marsi Foundation and follows on from earlier exhibitions in 2010 and 2013. The princess, who was 82 when she passed away having suffered a stroke some years before, was the daughter of His Royal Highness Prince Chumbhot and MR Pantip Paribatra and spent most of her life in France. She was little known in her homeland, but was celebrated internationally and often exhibited in Paris and Provence.

A visitor takes a picture of Princess Marsi Paribatra’s “Donne Moi ta Main” (“Give Me Your Hand”) 

“From the more than 100 of works in the collection of the Marsi Foundation, I’ve selected about 40 paintings centred on the theme of beauty and ugliness. Many of them have never been shown here before. The Princess’ personal items such as paintbrushes, palettes, sketchbooks, records and books on music, art and anatomy that were her source of study and inspiration are also displayed to reflect the strong passion of the Princess to pursue her artistic career,” says the exhibition’s curator, Asst Prof Dr Supachai Areerungruang.

 Princess Marsi’s personal collection of books on art history and anatomy as well as horror stories that inspired many of her works is on display.

Although the Princess showed artistic talent as a child, she did not take up serious studies in painting until the age of 30, when surrealism was in full bloom in France. Self-trained, she learned from the masterpieces in the museums and was also advised on proper methods and techniques by some of her artist friends.

The four galleries are arranged in such a way as to deliver four key messages – beauty, ugliness, chronology and art history, and truth.

The room themed around the concept of beauty displays Marsi’s paintings of animals, flowers and landscapes in contrasts of light and shade. “Her early works were small scale and focused on natural landscapes and rock textures in monotones inspired by traditional Chinese ink paintings. The figures of herself and mythical animals, which came about as a result of her passion for literature, began to show later and were composed in Renaissance style with intricate details,” says Supachai, who is also an art instructor at Srinakarinwirot University.

In addition to her doctorate degree in literature from the University of Paris and in art history from the University of Madrid, the Princess learned much from the Renaissance masters. Her series of different flowers combined to form images of parrots was inspired by the 16th-century artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, famed for his portraits of people with heads formed entirely of fruits, vegetables and flowers.

From Bosch, Titian, Botticello and Bellini, Marsi learned composition, poses and the delicate rendering of elaborate costumes. In Joseph Redoute’s work, she discovered botanical accuracy, right down to foreshortening the petals of a blossom.

 “La Mort aux Dents”

The next room is full of glass cabinets displaying Marsi’s collection of vinyl, mostly classical music by Chopin, Mozart and Beethoven as well as art books on Hokusai and Botticello. Books on anatomy and horror stories were also among her favourites. The book “Horror Stories Selected by Herbert van Thal” whose cover shows half a skull and half a woman’s face was the source of inspiration for the princess’s 1985 painting “La Mort aux Dents” featuring a woman’s face partially covered with a skull, flowers and trees.

Marsi fell in love with the charms of Annot and set up her studio there in 1970, naming her residence Vellara. It was home to a menagerie of cats, dogs and chickens and other birds. She fed more than 100 birds in her studio and the birds flew around freely. While painting, she listened to classical music. On display in the exhibition are her piano, her painting tools and an shielded easel (to protect against bird droppings).

 “Le Bal” (“The Ball”)

Her animals were her favourite models, as in the “Le Mariage Mystique du Prince Noui Noui a Vellara” (“The Mystical Marriage of Prince Noui Noui at Vellara”, 2003), which is considered her masterpiece. The painting depicts an extravagant wedding party, with herself and her beloved pet, a Saint Bernard named Noui Noui, among an assembly of animals, imaginary beasts and animal-headed humanoids. Her basset hounds, cats and parrots are also portrayed in “Le Bal” (“The Ball”, 1989) with the beasts in a masquerade.

Another room shows the chronology of Marsi from her birth in 1931 to the present day that is synchronised with the timeline of major events in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

“L’Arche de Noe” (“Noah’s Ark”)

The Renaissance style influence with rendering of light and shadow to create an illusion of depth and the complexity of arrangements and the physical relationship between humans, animals and objects and the landscape around them appear in many of her works such as “L’Arche de Noe” (“Noah’s Ark”, 1992) with different beasts embarking on the ship to escape the flood and “Le Mur” (“The Wall”, 1985) – a long zigzag wall separating a dreamlike land from desperate space.

Her painting tools and an easel showing the painting “Le Mur” (“The Wall”).

Also on show are several of her sketches that have never been shown. Each of her paintings was extremely time consuming because she made her own canvas frame and prepared a sketch before applying different layers of oil. She wrote with her left land but always wielded a brush with her right, but a stroke in 2004 paralysed that side and she never painted again.

 Flynow has launched a special collection of clothing and accessories bearing some patterns from Princess Marsi’s paintings. 

Photographer and filmmaker Shane Bunnag has produced a short documentary for the exhibition, merging footage of Princess Marsi with interviews with her friends in Annot.

And fashion label Flynow has launched the Marsi x Flynow collection by translating some of the Princess’ paintings into clothing and accessories such as T-shirts, shirts, dresses, scarves and bags.

A file photo shows Princess Marsi with her beloved Saint Bernard, Noui Noui.

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

“Beauty and Ugliness: Aesthetic of Marsi” continues until December 23 at the National Gallery on Chao Fah Road of Bangkok.

The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, from 9am to 6.30pm.

Call (02) 281 2224 or keep updated at http://www.MarsiFoundation.org.

 ‘Khon’, Thailand’s masked dance drama, has been inscribed on Unesco’s representative list of humanity’s “intangible” cultural heritage – a decision reached at the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Mauritius on November 29. It was the first time the Kingdom made the list since its ratification in June 2016 of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The pair reverses iconographic conventions and perceptive elements, freely mixing various references and contradicting presuppositions. “Flamingo” (2012) features a grotesquely decorated plate carrying the severed head of the work’s titular bird, while in “Diana” (2016), a lady’s handbag conceals rock star sunglasses, cigarette packets and pill bottles.

Straddling compositional surrealism and formal hyperrealism, Bertozzi & Casoni also study contemporary society’s rubbish, incorporating the remains of cultural icons into their assembled juxtapositions. In “Cuccia Brillo” (2003), for instance, a pop art-filtered Brillo box irreverently transforms into a makeshift doghouse made entirely of ceramic, a conceptual manifestation of time irremediably gone. Their sculptures – symbolic, mocking and pervaded by a sense of attraction for all that is short-lived, perishable and decaying – have thus become internationally recognised metaphors for the human condition. Yet the biting irony of their works is balanced by their unassailable perfection.

“Bucranio con Varano”

By reclaiming everyday objects to the aesthetic level, Bertozzi & Casoni adopt a straightforwardness that challenges prejudices. At the same time, they arouse suspicion through the visual deception of their exacting technique – a complex and enveloping mechanism that has no end or interruption.

Far from simply being a critique of society, the artists’ dazzling work can be understood as a purely aesthetic proposition. As fragile as it is strong, the ceramic material exalts Bertozzi & Casoni’s vile miscellany, offering a cynical metaphor of abundance and prosperity. Whether jovial or coarse, hedonistic or truculent, these works reveal a habitus – and not a habitat – that has spoilt every idyll, calling to mind the end of all things.

In “Bucranio con varano” (2012), an ox skull – symbolic of animal sacrifice in the ancient world – is surmounted by a Komodo dragon, a gigantic reptile indigenous to Indonesia. A dual symbol of death and rebirth, the lizard seeks the light and the sun, both representing rebirth and resurrection. Like a medieval man-eater, the Komodo dragon defends the cranium with splayed jaws, almost as if to breathe new life into it, initiating a metamorphosis.

Bertozzi & Casoni was founded in 1980 by Giampaolo Bertozzi and Stefano Dal Monte Casoni. After undertaking early studies at the Ceramic Art Institute of Faenza, the artists gravitated towards a dialogue with the great traditions of art and – seeing the possibilities of painted sculpture in ceramics – nurtured an original vocation to experiment with sculpture.

The two went on to attend the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. Around this time, they also began to participate in exhibitions that focused on their motivations for establishing a new ceramics movement. Taking part in these shows reflected an effort to foster support for their expressive medium, which at the time was viewed as a “minor art” compared to other forms. Their first creations were small and made of thin, polychrome majolica.

From 1985 to 1989, they collaborated with Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola, including for a year as researchers in the Centro Sperimentazioni e Ricerche sulla Ceramica (1987–88). This experience led to their association with K International Ceramics Magazine, for which they created cover images. As their relationship with Cooperativa Ceramica neared its end, the artists produced two major works sponsored by the company: projects in Tama New Town, Tokyo (1989–90), and Ditelo con i fiori,a large panel on the exterior wall of Imola Hospital.

Between 1983 and 1994, the two engaged with the world of design thanks to a special relationship with exhibition space Dilmos in Milan. They also participated in several editions of the Abitare il Tempo trade fair in Verona and the Triennale di Milano, as well as exhibitions in the former Church of San Carpoforo in Milan.

During the 1990s, Bertozzi & Casoni’s work took a much more conceptual and radical turn, as if to compensate for the exaggerated expressiveness and rigid perfection in their usual execution. With this later work, the two closed the chapter of painted majolica and moved into experimentations characterised by an almost exclusive use of materials and technologies derived from industry. This decisive step permitted their work to conquer a higher level of physical presence, as its pictorial virtuosities were abandoned in favour of an objective rendering of selected subjects. Their preferred iconographic themes, which found substance in the broad artistic genres of vanitas and memento mori, underwent a fantastic transfiguration: their formal reproduction took on an objective form that diminished the presence of the artists, themselves, and the conditioning perception of a particular time.

This important turning point in their practice led to a new chapter of “contemplations of the present”, in which a sort of “epic of trash” – the attraction for what is fleeting, transitory, perishable and in decay – became internationally recognised as a human condition that is not just contemporary. They finally had begun to attract the interest of art critics, museums and major Italian and international art galleries.

Bertozzi & Casoni’s work was featured in the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2009 and 2011. Recent museum exhibitions in Italy include a survey at Castello Sforzesco and Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza (2008–09) and a solo show at Fondazione Museo Pino Pascali, Polignano a Mare (2011–12). In the Netherlands, “Bertozzi & Casoni: Timeless” was presented at Museum Beelden aan Zee in The Hague (2013).

The artists have dedicated decades to examining the cultural and artistic refuse of contemporary society. Their work has been characterised by a never-ending, vivifying alternation between descents into decay and revivals of survivors; overlooked beauties, abstraction and representation; impermanence and eternity; history and contemporaneity; fantastic imagination and technical precision.

ON THE same weekend that the government held a major “Thailand 4.0” fair to promote innovation in Siam Square, Silpathorn artist Pichet Klunchun revived his performance “Bogus Seance Bangkok 4.0 (Four for Nothing)” at ChangChui in Taling Chan, as part of Bangkok Art Biennale 2018. It should be noted first that art is not among the keywords of this new campaign. In fact, it has never been in any government’s campaign, as if implying that no politicians can see its value in our country’s development. And so, if your children have trouble choosing between the arts or science streams in high school, you know what to tell them.

Photo/Naphatrapee Suntorntirnan

The atmosphere wasn’t like a theatre, but an actual ritual, and that was thanks in part to the outdoor stage and numerous decorations and accessories from many religions, beliefs and cults, notwithstanding the fact that most of us are Buddhists. Dancers from Pichet Klunchun Dance Company as well as dance students portrayed familiar characters ranging from the black panther and the fat man with his rifle, to kid footballers, a navy seal in diving gear and a Wonder Woman lookalike, while another veteran dancer was running on the treadmill adorned with bank notes and the director himself portrayed the holy medium.

Photo/Naphatrapee Suntorntirnan

At the beginning, special guests in the audience were invited onstage to shave his head; later on, when he was seemingly possessed, other audience members asked such popular questions as the first-prize lottery number and the general election date. Some were given plastic watches and incense to participate in the ritual. In the end, Pichet invited all audience members to join his company for a wild dance party on stage. That was when I headed off in the opposite direction from the stage, thinking of the biennale’s slogan “Beyond Bliss” and grinning at the fact that all of these were sharp contrasts to the concurrent “Thailand 4.0” fair and highlighted much of what has recently happened here.

Photo/Naphatrapee Suntorntirnan

A few weeks ago, the Marina Abramovic Institute’s (MAI) “A Possible Island?”, eight concurrent eight-hour durational performances by eight artists, finished its three-and-a-half-week run at the 8th floor gallery of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). The number of audience members shattered both MAI’s and BACC’s records. This reconfirms not only the audience’s interest in, or perhaps curiosity about, performance art but also the fact that galleries are no longer reserved for visual arts.

Last night, Dujdao Vadhanapakorn, another BAB artist, finished the last live performance of “Afterlight” at the same venues, while the light installation and dance video will remain on display until the end of the biennale. And as the poster in front now reads “Beyond Infinity”, the audience can expect more blissful performances there.

In the era when performances have become an integral part of biennales worldwide and even outside the frameworks of biennales, museums have opened their gallery space to performances, it’s nice to see that the first edition of BAB has followed suit without hesitation.

In our country, the number of spectators for each art genre is still limited, and so when there’s an opportunity to cross boundaries, let’s take it and go outside of our comfort zones. This will also create innovation, even if it’s not recognised by the government.

MORE THAN 30 “sustainable” light-art installations are going to illuminate the city for i Light Singapore Bicentennial Edition from January 28 to February 24, which will have as its theme “Bridges of Time”.

And artists from 14 countries will be pooling talents for a spectacular multimedia show.

The 2019 edition of the light-art festival delves into the topic of connectivity while reflecting on Singapore’s history, growth and relationships with the world over the last 700 years.

At the same time, the artworks aim to inspire all to come together for a sustainable future. The events will span Marina Bay as well as the historical Civic District, Singapore River and Raffles Terrace at Fort Canning Park.

The story of Singapore takes centre stage in many of the artworks.

Cenotaph for a Stone by National University of Singapore

For instance, students from the National University of Singapore, who emerged first in the inaugural i Light Student Award with “Cenotaph for a Stone”, seek to illustrate the destruction of the Singapore Stone in 1843.

While appearing in its entirety as a “faux” stone in frontal view, the installation at Waterboat House Garden will intrigue viewers with its deliberate arrangement of 51 rock fragments and timed, cascading lighting effect that mimics an explosion.

Visitors will also get to see a 3D light- and water-based hologram of sailboats on the Marina Bay waterfront promenade presented by Studio Biangle from Estonia.

Titled “Sails Aloft”, the large-scale installation recreates vessels inspired by the sampan panjang, a colloquial term for a long dwelling boat used by the early immigrants to Singapore (Orang laut – “sea people” in the Malay language).

Appearing only after darkness falls, the hologram wavers with the movement of the wind to exude a dreamy ambience, and creates a snapshot of a 19th-century sailboat race in the region.

On the Singapore River, Belgian group ACTLD will tell the story of the timeless journey of travellers who discovered Singapore over the years through an immersive multimedia show titled “Bridges of Time”, which will enchant the audience nightly with lights, lasers, music and projections on water.

For the first time, artworks will be installed on six bridges over the river and at Marina Bay – the Elgin, Cavenagh, Anderson, Esplanade, Jubilee and Helix bridges.

Collectively, the artworks inspire hope and optimism as we acknowledge the past and celebrate our present, while looking to the future. It will spark conversations on the development of Singapore and the world around us.

Raffles Terrace was the residence of a long line of governors, including Sir Stamford Raffles. The area became an important communication centre after the British established a port there in 1819.

Fort Canning itself has a longer history – it was known as Bukit Larangan prior to 1822, where the ancient kings of the Singapura Kingdom are believed buried. By extending the festival to Fort Canning Park, visitors can explore and better appreciate the historic area while enjoying the light-art installations.

They’ll be welcomed by Taiwanese artist Dr Huang Chin Fu’s “Land-pass Bird”, where 30 birds with fluorescent blue feathers will perch in the trees that line the staircase from the foot of the park to Raffles Terrace.

Keys of Light by Mr.Beam

At Raffles Terrace itself, artist Mr Beam from the Netherlands will invite people to interact with his piano installation “Keys of Light”, which reacts to each note played on the piano and triggers captivating animations in the surrounding environment.

DP Architects of Singapore will show “Why Green?” at the Marina Bay Event Square, an immersive installation of 3D-printed plant species inspired by the landscape of Singapore.

 Time Traveller by Eko Agus Prawoto

At Clifford Square, “Time Traveller” by Indonesian artist Eko Agus Prawoto is inspired by bamboo fish traps used in the past, evoking collective memories among the communities in this fast-changing era.

Standing tall between One Fullerton – a result of development of the new city and Clifford Pier – the old landing point for travellers who arrived in Singapore via sea, the artwork also serves as a bridge between the old and new, and between generations.

In partnership with Lux Light Festival in New Zealand, one of three overseas collaborations, i Light Singapore will also have “Facey Thing” by UJI Studios at One Marina Boulevard.

This installation is a fun and satirical celebration of the coming together of selfie culture and universal surveillance to create hyper-real simulated images of ourselves through the art of play. As visitors come into view of the camera, they can interact creatively with their pictures taken on-site by virtually painting with their faces.

“This special edition is especially meaningful as it forms part of the Singapore Bicentennial commemoration,” says festival director Jason Chen. “The artwork line-up collectively reflects our desire to bridge people, cultures and ideas through art and sustainability.

“The light-art installations will be strategically placed along the festival route to take everyone on the development journey of Singapore since the arrival of its earliest communities.”

Let It Glow

The i Light Singapore Bicentennial Edition takes place from January 28 to February 24, daily from 7.30pm to 11pm, until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. General admission is free. Visit http://www.iLightSingapore.sg for more information.

Members of the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (Unesco) meeting in Mauritius included Thai khon among several world cultural treasures added and to the list.

It is the first time that Thailand has been represented on the heritage list, and Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat credited the achievement to Her Majesty the Queen’s efforts to bring the theatre form into the 21st century with gala annual performances.

“She ordered a complete redesign for the costumes and ornamentation, the makeup, stage, format, lighting and sound, turning it into a royal khon performance,” he said.

To celebrate the Unesco decision, the Culture Ministry on Friday staged a performance at the Thailand Cultural Centre along with a demonstration of how the masks are made.

“We have also arranged additional three-hour performances of ‘The Allegiance of Phiphek’ from December 3 to 5 at the cultural centre,” Vira said, referring to the latest episode of the Ramayana being presented in the grand “royal” format this year.

“More live performances will be staged in the coming year and we’ll be screening the animated film ‘Ramayana’, which the ministry produced.”

Vira said there would also be exhibitions, children’s books and a documentary film presented around the country, and a khon digital database would be created for use by future generations.

While few would decry the focus on preserving traditional khon, some critics have said the government should also be supporting contemporary theatre as well.

The ministry will next year nominate nuad thai (Thai massage) and the southern traditional dance nora for inclusion on the Unesco list.

Also recognised by the UN agency as a form of Intangible Cultural Heritage “in need of urgent safeguarding” was Cambodia’s similar masked-dance form known as lakhon khol.

It was added to the Unesco Representative List in 2008, but this year was listed in a second category for the specific dance presented at Wat Svay Andet near Phnom Penh. It is unusual in that members of the community living around the Buddhist monastery accompany the performances by masked men with music and melodious recitation.

In explaining the listing, Unesco said the lakhon khol performance there “aims to ensure the community’s protection and prosperity by winning the favours of Neak Ta, a guardian spirit of the place and its people.

“After generations of transmission, the element’s viability has been weakened by environmental factors, economic migration, insufficient resources and the effects of war and of the Khmer Rouge.”