YELO House – Nova Contemporary – The dimension of humanity

The shape of the invisible, the rhythm of the unspeakable, the dimension of humanity

Nova Contemporary is proud to present The shape of the invisible, the rhythm of the unspeakable, the dimension of humanity, Thai female artists group exhibition in Bangkok curated by Margaret Wu. The artists are Aracha Cholitgul, Narissra Pianwimungsa, Piyarat Piyapongwiwat and Prae Pupityastaporn. Exhibited in a former warehouse converted space during Bangkok Art Biennale period, this exhibition is an act to support the ideas of ‘decentralisation’ and ‘bring the art to life’ and to balance the gender in the male-dominated exhibitions in Thailand.

The shape of the invisible, the rhythm of the unspeakable, the dimension of humanity explores the human mental state under an increasingly connected environment, and the effects of the all-surrounding, all-surveilled sensorium on our sense of self and identity. The artists in this exhibition respond to these evolving conditions in a number of ways, from psychoanalytical manifestations to narrative appropriations, to critical interrogations and to poetic statements. This exhibition also invites the performance artist to join in on the exploration through the bodily translation.
This exhibition pursues numerous lines of inquiry, asking questions such as: is there any mutation on the self and subjecthood when the boundaries between being seen and seeing, the private and public, and the real and virtual are blurred in the technological society? Furthermore, what are the effects on the artist’s practices and the role of art from this structural change? What is the current role of objecthood and fetishism in a world full of plural and fluid perspectives?

Unlike most of the western counterparties using new media to tap the potential of mutated technological identifications, the exhibited artists in this exhibition purposively employ the physically tangible mediums in their artistic approaches, such as embroidery, sculpture, painting and text, to intuitively embrace and interpret the vulnerability of humans in the immaterial world of digital media. They recognise the socio-cultural impacts of the ubiquitous networking, and in doing so reveal the beautiful struggle for human’s corporeal existence and their beliefs in raw humanity.
The elongated title of the exhibition and the laborious process behind each work evidently serves to emphasise our unyielding human presence that is being challenged by the fleeting nature of cyber-hallucination. The artworks in this exhibition signify the collective anxiety and ambivalence toward our personal and social identities in technology’s saturation.

Narissra Pianwimungsa (b. 1974)

In this exhibition, Narissara expands her unique artistic practice in embroidery from two-dimensional embroidery work to three-dimensional relational art. Through the spaces she constructs, viewers can enter and play with her soft embroidered sculptures that act to embody the paradoxical feelings which human beings have towards technology. Playful but confining, the constructed environment simulates the all-surrounding social space that has blurred the boundaries between reality and virtual with the uncomfortable gazes from the surveillance cameras.

Piyarat Piyapongwiwat (b. 1977)

Piyarat’s work usually reflects her surrounding experiences. The selected lightening neon works are part of her previous project, which is the interview-based fieldwork. She collected the conversations with the subalterns from different culture backgrounds and broadcasted their words as the artworks. The exhibited works resonate with her artistic practice in expressing her longing in an era in which the technology determines the contours of everything from economics to politics, to social and intimate relationships, and visual and social perceptions. The unpredictable future urges her to have genuine optimism for humanity and the world. While the texts bear positive meanings, the neon lighting inevitably emanates the fragility of her hope and a sense of nostalgia.

Prae Pupityastaporn

Prae is mainly inspired by the narratives in literature. Instead of representing any ideology, she often chooses to stage the unnoticed, the neglected and the unknown. Instead of seeing technology as a threat to the creativity, she takes it as a vehicle to expand her imagination; it is the access to connect the world without traveling. The socio-cultural influences from the technology are internalised into her artistic practice and unveil in the seemingly awkward and uncanny landscapes she constructs. In the end, ‘what is the reality in the constructed world’ becomes the question she would like to ask the viewers and herself.

Aracha Cholitgul (b. 1988)

Aracha continues her interests in the relationship between history, culture, rituals, tribes, and individual’s objects and subconscious in reciprocating the socio-technological system. Inspired by the figurine Venus of Willendorf, a symbol of fertility created during the period of prehistory beginning around 30,000 BCE, she has crafted her own Venus from clay to form a solemn request for the fertility of her artworks. In her mind, this figurine is increasingly important and requires protection in a world flooded by information in which people’s self-identities and beliefs are easily affected by others. The figurine of the benevolent deity is a metaphorical form of a psychological response: a call for Mother Nature to protect one’s own beliefs and a sanctuary for one’s mind. It represents a survival instinct from a human being towards the feeling of being threatened or overwhelmed by the new and unknown.
The exhibition will showcase from October 25 – November 25, 2018 opening from 11AM-8PM. Phitthaya Phaefuang’s choreographed pursuit will take place on November 17 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.. at YELO House. For additional information, please call 090-910-6863 or contact [email protected]