Asian –European Artists Gather at Patravadi Theatre

The BOW Project Celebrates Contemporary Dance, Film and Music From Around the World


The BOW Project artists from Faroe Islands, United Kingdom, New York, Malaysia, Belgium and Beijing will bring together “The Final BOW” an evening of dance, film and music from around the world on 16 January 2010 at Patravadi Theatre.

The BOW Project is a cross-cultural collaboration of five artists from Asia and Europe. They are film/dance artist Rannvá Káradóttir ( Denmark), dancer/choreographers Cathy Seago (UK), Shi Jing Xin (China), Mei-Yin Ng (Malaysia) and composer/musician Emmanuel Bally (Belgium), who first met in 2007 in Beijing during the cross cultural exchange project Pointe-to-point. The BOW Project is about exchanging and renewing ideas about movement, from within their own and other cultures. The artists will produce a live performance event “The Final Bow” at Patravadi Theatre and a short film which will go on to be shown at Festivals to international audiences during 2010.

An evening to conclude their three-week residency in Thailand, in“The Final BOW”, the five artists will bring from home a piece of work to be presented in a mixed bill in the first half of the program. In the second half of the program, the artists will present the creation a new performance “BOW” which is the product of their residency. “BOW” is an intertextual dance and music performance where the artists move across genres to connect through a collective performance. Also will be shown during the evening is a documentary “Amazing Grace” made by Ans Kanen and Han de Bruin during Pointe to Point 5th Asia Europe Dance Forum.

Workshops on dance, music and film will also be conducted by the artists during their residency at Patravadi Theatre. Please contact the theatre by email patravaditheatre@gmail.com or call 024127287 for details.

The BOW project is supported by the Asia Europe Foundation as a follow project of the 5th Asia Europe Dance Forum.

EVENT: “The Final BOW” an evening of dance, live music and film from around the world.
DATE/TIME: 16 Jan 2010 (Sat) 7:30pm
VENUE: Theatre-in-the-Garden, Patravadi Theatre
TICKETS: 300B. 100B (Student)

Tickets are now available at Total Reservation, the public can contact www.totalreservation.com or hotline 02-833-5555 to book the tickets. Total Reservation branches: Siam Paragon, Emporium, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, BTS Mo Chit, BTS Victory Monument, The Mall: Bangkae, Bangkapi, Thapra, Ramkhamhaeng, Ngamwongwan.

Visit www.patravaditheatre.com, www.bowproject.wordpress.com for more information on The BOW Project.
Press inquiry:
Toby To (International Programme Director, Patravadi Theatre)
patravaditheatre@gmail.com 02412 7287-8 (Tel) 08 9153 0682 (mobile)
PROGRAMME of “The Final BOW”

With works from Faroe Islands, United Kingdom, New York, Malaysia, Belgium and Beijing we present a program of dance, film and music from around the world. The five artists have brought from home a piece of work which is presented here in Patravadi Theatre in a mixed bill in the first half of the programme. In the second half of the programme, a newly-created piece BOW by all participating artists during their residency in Thailand will be premiered.
1. Rannvá Káradóttir ( Denmark)
Title: Memotech / Memotekið - 5.58 min.
Media: Dance film
2. Cathy Seago (UK)
Title: Concept excerpts from DUOD
Media: Dance performance
3. Shi Jing Xin (China)

Title:Xia Xie Bo Wa-White/A dance for the God - 8.min (excerpt of “Peace plan into Tibet” 2009)?Media: Dance performance and Video
4. Mei-Yin Ng (Malaysia)
Title: Cinderella Toe Jam
Media: Dance
5. Emmanuel Bally (Belgium)
Title: choral III variations ?Media: Music
--- INTERVAL 15.MIN ---
6. Title: BOW
Devised, Developed and Performed by: Cathy Seago, Shi Jing Xin, Mei-Yin NG
Music by: Emmanuel Baily and the Wang Wei Quartet
Film: Rannva Karadottir

An intertextual dance and music performance where the artists move across genres and connect through a collective performance, gathering their individual experience of this journey though the wide range of cultures and practices represented.

• During the evening the documentary Amazing Grace, made by Ans Kanen and Jan de Bruin during Pointe to Point 5th Asia Europe Dance Forum will be shown.

‘Roses of the North’ Charity Exhibition

Flowers can make everyone feel happy…. H.E.Privy Councillor Palakorn Suwanrath and Thanpuying Dhasaniya Suwanrath recently presided over at ‘Roses of the North’ charity oil painting exhibition inspired by Bhubing Palace organized by L’Occitane and Baan Saen Doi Resort in Chiang Mai. The art of mercy rose oil painting exhibition was held at Peninsula Plaza and part of sales went to support schools and hospitals where are needed in Chiang Mai. Many kind hearted celebrities attended the event including Khunying Dhipavadee Meksawan, Mr.Harald Link, Arunee Bhirombhakdi, Atchara Tejapaibul, M.L.Sirichalerm Svasti, M.L.Thongmakut and Jarujit Thongyai, Yuwadee and Nidsinee Chirathivat, Dararatana and Toey Mahadumrongkul, Chadapah Snidvongs, Captain Deuntemduang Na Chiengmai, Pimpawan Limpichart, Joy Sopitpongstorn, Panitnuj Bunnag, Piranuj T.Suwan, Sodsoi Chomthavat, Mayura Savetsila, Wanchana Sawasdee and more.

The exhibition showcased of over 70 oil painting of roses flowers by artist and art lecturer Narin Phothisombat. Narin Phothisombat is a talented artist with an art degree from Chiang Mai Technology Rajchamonkol. His painting was inspired by roses from Phra Tamnak Bhubing Rajanives (Bhubing Palace). His painting reflected his pride and passions towards the beauty of nature for roses including Queen Sirikit, Eliza, Rouge Meilland, Queen Elizabeth and Royal Air Force.

In addition there was the charity auction on 2 oil painting pieces. The first one was the painting of Queen Elizabeth which won by Harald Link, CEO of B.Grimm for 120,000 Baht and the other piece on Queen Sirikit won by Arunee Bhirombhakdi for 75,000 Baht.

“TWIST AND SHOUT”

A Contemporary Art Exhibition from Japan In Celebration of Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009


The Japan Foundation and Bangkok Art and Culture Centre proudly present “Twist and Shout”, an exhibition of contemporary art by forefront Japanese contemporary artists.

To be shown at the BACC from November 2009 to January 2010, the exhibition will introduce for the first time, a major contemporary art show from Japan rooted in Japanese pop culture, inspired by such genre as manga and anime, and placing a special focus on new trends that have emerged in the Japanese subculture in recent years.

Curated by Kenji Kubota, an independent curator and Yoko Nose, a curator of the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, “Twist and Shout” is the major survey of the art movement that acutely reflects various aspects of the Japanese contemporary society and the psyche of the people. Powerful statements and insights are made through paintings, installations, video art, sculpture, photography, and even a six foot-high moving robot and an entourage of forty little ones, the exhibition represents a dynamic exploration of the visual arts subculture, with imaginative elements and subliminal messages relevant to society and history. The show will contain some forty works by 17 Japanese artists.

It is not uncommon to find in the Thai city life, elements of the Japanese popular culture in the forms of manga, anime, games, music and movies, and as well its influences extending into aspects of daily life such as food, clothing and design. “Twist and Shout” art exhibition hope to provide a viewing of these elements in the context of their land of origin, and a rare opportunity to the Thai audience to glance at the relationship between contemporary Japanese society and its imagination. With this respect, the exhibition will give rise to a more nuanced understanding of the Japanese society, leading to a better dialogue between the two societies. There will also be talk sessions during the exhibition period.

“Twist and Shout” exhibition is part of the Mekong-Japan Exchange year 2009. The exhibition will be on view from 19 November 2009 to 10 January 2010, at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Pathumwan Junction. The BACC is open daily ,10am – 9pm, Mondays closed. The entry is free.

SAMUI'S GREEN REVOLUTION

       It all started three years ago when a group of Samui residents, both Thai and foreign, were stressing over the damage being done to the island's natural environment. "Why don't they do something about the over-development ... deforestation ... lack of infrastructure," had become the refrain of concerned residents who watched from the sidelines for years as rapid development took its toll on the island's once pristine natural environment. But out of this chorus arose the question, "Who are They?" The group realised that, "'They' are not going to do anything: We live here! We have to do something!"
       And so the seed for the Samui Mala Festival was planted - an event that celebrates environmental healing on Koh Samui. With the call-to-action slogan "Be the Change", what began as a one-day event held in the lush grounds of Tamarind Springs spa in 2007 has grown into a week-lofng, multi-event, multi-venue annual community festival celebrating healthy living in a healthy environment. This September's Mala Festival went beyond the traditional community celebration to include a Yoga Retreat for Peace as well as a "Green Day", sponsored by the Thai Hotels Associaton to promote environmental awareness in children, a "Blue Day" to highlight water and reef conservation issues, and a Healing Forum with a holistic focus on the mind, body and spirit.
       The healing theme spread to "Healing Art for a Healing Island", an exhibition by artists living on Samui and inspired by the idea of supporting locals' efforts to earn a living in a way that celebrates healing, music and art.
       After the Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary donated a beautiful gallery space, Samui-based German artist Nartana Holzweiler volunteered to take on the challenge of organising a show by five Thai and five expat artists. The exhibition runs the spectrum form high-profile names such as architect Robert Powell, whose exquisite architectural drawings and paintings have graced glossy coffee-table books and been displayed in galleries across the US, Europe and Asia, to newcomer Aree Wutthanamassapong, who swapped her fried-fish stall for an easel a year ago and began whipping up dozens of vibrant, multithued, abstract scenes of nature.
       While every artist brings their own perspective, a quick glance around the gallery reveals the circle is a recurrent motif - a symbol of the spiritual wholeness at the heart of the concept of healing. For Konkarn Jeap Boomivitaya, whose delicate Chinese ink paintings on mulberry paper depict serene circles and landscapes, inspiration comes from Zen calligraphy; after years of meditation she's able her to bring her mind to the stillness required to paint a perfect circle in a single brush stroke. In the dharmic tradition, the circle symbolises wholeness, completion, fullness and enlightenement. Spirituality as a form of healing is also the inspiration for Sujitra June Kerdsompong, owner of the popular June's Art Cafe in Bophut, whose mixed media oil-and-copper works depict lotus flowers and other Buddhist images. Another key theme is the concept of nature as a healing force, a feature of Gilbert Medam's miniature installations with banana-leaf themes and Nick Woodcroft's elegant eroded-wood sculptures.
       For organiser Holzweiler, the healing aspect took a more personal form. His pieces were painted during the break-up of a relationship. "While I was painting I made my peace with the past. I used items left over from the relationship - a letter of forgiveness, a piece of canvas with her footprint - and intergrated them into the paintings. It's like composting, recycling old negative energy into something positive.
       "If the exhibition starts a Samui movement of healing art, that would be an accomplishment," says Holzweiler. Encouraged by positive feedback from visitors, be says the art event will definitely be a feature of next year's Samui Mala.
       The "Healing Art for a Healing Island" exhibition and sale runs through December at Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary Koh Samui. For details, visit www.Kamalaya.com.
       A MOVEMENT IS BORN
       Inspired by the Sanskrit word mala - "a string of beads" - the annual Samui Mala Festival unites residents by the common thread of a sharing, caring community focused on keeping the island green for future generations.
       Run by volunteers on a non-profit basis, the Samui Mala group aims to raise awareness and take action to regenerate the local environment and communitires by raising funds for projects as well as providing information and a network system for groups and individuals.
       For details, visit www.SamuiMala.org.

WOUNDED ART MARKET SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE

       Quick sales at decent prices at this month's contemporary art fairs in London and Paris indicate the market bouncing back from trauma but still not a pretty picture, experts said.
       "The market is down but not out. Volumes and values are down, but there is a renewed confidence and a renewed spirit," said Georgina Adam of The Art Newspaper.
       Held consecutively over four days each in the two art capitals, the Frieze and FIAC fairs comprising hundreds of the world's top contemporary-art galleries wound up proving that bidders were still being lured by cutting-edge art.
       FIAC organisers said its many deals were a "sign there is market confidence" while Frieze noted "renewed confidence in the contemporary art market."
       Those claims will be tested at this week's New York auctions, which kick off today.
       After months of trauma that saw auctions shrivel, fairs cancelled and prices nosedive, Zurich-and-London gallery Hauser and Wirth sold a Louise Bourgeois sculpture at Frieze for 2.4 million euros (Bt118.5 million), while New York's David Zwirner pocketed 680,000 euro for a Neo Rauch.
       At the FIAC, New York's Sharstedt Gallery sold a Cindy Shermann photo for over a million euros and Paris-Nekw York's Yvon Lambert sold a Jenny Holzer for over 300,000 euro.
       "It's much better than last year, the market is healtheir," said lambert.
       The crisis was affecting collectors, said private French buyers Marc and Josee Gensollen. "We have to make sacrifices, but some of us choose not to sacrifice art."
       "However, negotiating the price has become easier," he said.
       In the mid-2000s, contemporary art - works by artists born after 1945- saw a boom that sent prices soaring 85 per cent from 2002 to 2008, with 620 per cent more works sold at over a million euros in the same period, according to artprice.com.
       The party ended in last year's economic turmoil, driving prices down 27 per cent as billionaies and banks fell off the map, and finance from museums, funds and corporations melted away.
       "The worst months were between last November and April. It was a terrible period," Adam said.
       "Things have picked up since the Art Basel fair in June. There are buyers, but prices are down a lot," she said.
       Last month, the world's top-grossing artist Damien Hirst scooped an Asian record of 13.37 million Hong Kong dollars (Bt57.7 million) at auction with "Tranquillity" (thousands of dead butterflies laid out in a circular mosaic) - though it fell short of its estimate.
       Betting on the appeal novelty to counter the overriding gloom, London's avant-garde Frieze fair this year launched a new section titled Frame, where 29 galleries less than six years old showcased emerging talent from lesser-known territories.
       FIAC on the other hand put the accent on blue-chip galleries and blue-chip talent.
       It featured a specially designed show of modern art bringing together 25 museum-quality 20th century works. Among them was a Mondrian titled "Composition with Blue, Red and Yellow", estimated at US$35 million (Bt1.17 billion) and said to be the most valuable in private hands. It was on hold for a private collector last weekend.
       Lesser-known avant-garde creations possibly took longer to seel, but many on display found buyers.
       "I think there is a new generation of collectors and a new public for contemporary art," said Chantal Crousel of the eponymous Paris gallery, which sold half of its works on show at the FIAC, for prices ranging from 550 euro to 300,000 euro.
       "There are people out there who want to live in the times and who want art that reflects the times."

The world in art

       Ever since Yves Carcelle launched "Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture" in September, the 400-page three0in-one book has become a collector's item. This collabo ration of nearly 100 artistts, photographers,architects since 1980s is a celebration of the brand and features works bu pi9oneers Cesar, Sol Lewitt and Oliver Debre, as well as by Marc Jacobs, stehen Sprouse, Takashi Muragami and Richard Prince. There are also some stunning shots of advertising campaigns captured by InezVan Lamsweerde& Vinoodh Matadin, Jean Lariviere and Annie Leibovitz.
       The illustrated anthology is supplemented by critical essays that analyse and shed new light on
Vuitton's commitment during one of the most fertile periods of contemporary creation. Written by international critics from the world of art, fashion and architecture, the boos are in three languages-French,English and Italian.
       The deluxe edition exclusively designed by takashi Murakami will soon be for sale in louis Vuitton stores and through
       www.Louis Vuitton.com.

Asian art slowly perking up

       While contemporary-art markets in the US and Europe continue to suffer from a weak economy, the Asian market could be showing signs of a small, if slow, recovery. The superstar at the recent Sotheby Auction in Hong Kong was none other than Zhang Xiaogang.
       "Silence fell on Hong Kong auction room when bidding on a painting by Chinese contemporary artist Zhang Xiaogang reached HK$7 million" (Bt30 million), Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. "At the market's peak in May 2008, buyers offered up to 10 times more than that for the top lot."
       Zhang's 2005 diptych "Comrade" - an oil portrait of an unsmiling, Mao-style couple on 130 centimetre-by-110 centimetre canvases - eventually fetched HK$8.5 million, the most expensive lot at Sotheby's sale.
       But compare that to May 2008, the last major Hong Kong auction before the Lehman Brothers Holdings collapse, when a painting of red guards by Zeng Fanzhi set an Asia contemporary art record of HK$75.4 million.
       Asia contemporary art prices still have a long way to go before they make a full recovery.