‘Today’s Thailand’ Seen Through Works of 24 Leading Thai Artists

Hosted by Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation
"Thai Contemporary Art - Dreams and Reflections"
At Seoul Arts Center until the 20th

The exhibition introducing Thai contemporary art, "Thai Contemporary Art - Dreams and Reflections," will be held at the Hangaram Art Museum of the Seoul Arts Center until the 20th, the Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation announced on the 4th.

The work 'The Crescent Ape' by artist Im Hatai Suwattanasin. Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation

This exhibition features 110 works by 24 leading contemporary Thai artists. It showcases paintings, sculptures, installations, and media art born from Thailand's social and cultural changes.

Park Il-ho, Honorary Professor at Ewha Womans University and the exhibition director, explained, "Thai contemporary artists incorporate political, social, and cultural elements into their works. Through this, we aim to reveal the true image of Thailand, which we have only vaguely known."

Although Thai art, in this Buddhist country, has traditionally had strong religious tones, recent works by young artists show signs of change. Professor Park said, "More than 95% of Thailand's population are Buddhists, so artworks influenced by Buddhism were commonly encountered. However, recent works by young artists tend to show a relative weakening of mythological and religious colors."

The exhibition is divided into "Dreams," featuring experimental and dynamic works mainly by young artists, and "Reflections," focusing on mid-career artists active on the international stage. The Dreams section includes 14 artists such as Julie Baker and Summer, introducing fresh art using various media and forms. The Reflections section explores deeper themes such as society, politics, and environment through works by 10 mid-career artists including Rugrit Tiravanit.

Baek Su-mi, Director of the Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation, said, "We are striving to introduce unique works that are not easily accessible," adding, "We aim to play a central role in Asian cultural exchange."

The Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation was established in 2014 with private funds donated by Kim Dong-nyeong, Chairman of Hanse Yes24 Holdings, and has been discovering and introducing artworks from Asian countries to Korea since 2015. So far, exhibitions from six countries?Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Malaysia?have been presented. This is the second Thai exhibition following the one in 2017.