The Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) has been confirmed for a start date of October 29, 2020, despite the difficulties presented by Covid-19. This second edition of BAB will feature thirty one Thai artists as well as fifty one international artists from thirty four countries. The theme, “Escape Routes”, was announced back in 2019, but according to the Biennale’s artistic director Apinan Poshyananda this framework has taken on new meanings during the global pandemic.
Poshyananda spoke about the contemporary relevance of BAB’s theme in a press release, saying that “In the grave, fragile ‘new normal’ world we live in, cracks are appearing everywhere. In recent months, we have been immersed in fear and despair... that has caused unprecedented calamity and disruption worldwide.” Poshyananda states that the works featured in this edition of BAB will indeed “challenge issues stemming from the current predicament” even though the concept of this edition of BAB was conceived under the “premises of the ‘old normal’.”
Among a list of artists that includes prominent names such as Anish Kapoor, Yoko Ono, and Dinh Q Le, participants from a wide variety of artistic practices will be showcasing their work. This includes Melati Suryodar, an Indonesian performance artist known for her iconic works, including Exergie—Butter Dance (2000) and Dialogue With My Sleepless Tyrant (2013), the Mongolian painter Baatarzorig Batjargal, who works with the techniques of Mongol Zurag painting in order to address the broader history of Mongolia’s development over the past century, and Farhana Islam Tani, an interdisciplinary artist working with installation and video art that uses Bangladeshi cultural content as material in her artwork. The long list of local artists includes Ubatsat, an artist-social activist that focuses on collective practice with the attempt to create understandings about people under pressure or in crisis, and Yuree Kensaku, who is known for her use of electrifying colors, rich sense of humour, and candy-coated cartoon characters with a dark twist. The Biennale will run until January 31, 2021.
For more information visit their website bkkartbiennale.com.
