Artist-in-residence

The artistic practice of Arin Rungjang (b. 1974, Thailand) is deeply intertwined with Southeast Asian histories, symbols, memories and addresses the ways in which social and economic transformations affect individuals’ lives. Exploring power relations embedded in traditional practices and daily objects, he creates works that stand on the threshold between the public and the private and recast collective histories through personal narratives. Regarded as a pioneer of installation art in Thailand, his work spans across different media and often engage collaborative practice. Arin Rungjang has recently received a solo exhibition at the Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok, Thailand (2015). He has participated to the 18th Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (2012), the Bandung Pavilion at the Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai, China (2012) and the Asia Triennial, Manchester, United Kingdom (2011). He represented Thailand at the 55th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (2015).

While in residence, Arin Rungjang will investigate the phenomenon of historical rumours in Thailand and Singapore. His research aims to unearth unofficial stories that circulate by word of mouth and connect them to the politics of governance and notions of historical truth, allowing us to glimpse at popular mentalities and anxieties in a given period. Rungjang will also be using the studio space to further develop the project that he will be presenting at Kassel and Athens next year.