Photo Exhibit in BKK for New Breast Cancer Center

Soft Power is more than a photography exhibit or art installation. It is an evocative space in which fashion photography, soft and hard sculpture, furniture, and lingerie meld together seemlessly to express an essence of femininity and enrapture those who enter it. Soft Power is sensually inviting and creative. The lighting is dramatic and well placed. What I enjoyed most are the elements adored by women, of flowers, books, butterflies, bathtubs, even a dining table! and the colors. The effect is fun, magical, and bold. Darkness envelops visitors as they enter the exhibition by a sloping hallway, and the sense of being enclosed is very strong for a moment. A single painting on a wall provides a frame of reference. Suddenly, a white bookshelf appears under a spotlight. As if by magic the shelf slides to the left to reveal a hidden room. One enters and the motion-sensored door closes quickly behind. The space inside is open but dark like the night and navigable only by staircases. I include a photo below of the camera flash-lit space so you can see.

One reaches four galleries at regular intervals by moving up the stairs and down.

The first room features two freestanding white bathtubs on pieces of garden slate. A thick swarm of blue, purple and white butterflies appear to fly from one tub into the other through a giant silver picture frame. Elements of nature and electric shades of blue are calming and refreshing. Each of the photographs tells a story. The women model innerwear that fits the personalities they express. Imagining a soak in the bath, one wishes all her cares would fly away like the butterflies! The pair of girlie bathtubs bring to mind the good company of sisters or girlfriends.

The second rectangular gallery is furnished with a giant black dining table. The table top supports a beautiful black and purple trunk with white flowers growing from the center of it and into the ceiling! Organic foliage hangs from the tree for a jungle effect. Contrastingly bright white and pink images of blossoming flowers on flat screens nested into the table top appear next to more floral arrangements and a set of lingerie. I interpreted this piece as a dining table, infused with women's traditional gender role of preparing meals for the family. Instead, this table represents more about her inner self. A third room is very bright in contrast to the others, and features a shiny catwalk that you walk onto. See the photo below. Sterile white surfaces display photographs in black and white. As I walked in university students were taking funny pictures with the photographs. The song playing low was Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson’s Scream! which is so amazing. A large flat screen displays moving psychaedelic shapes. The room seems a teeny bit like the white spaceship of the Jacksons' Scream music video. The photos express some of the same great energy and reminded me of the spaceship's "Gallery" of art too. (Never forget the best of MJ!) The sensuality and white minimalism reminded me a bit of Bjork's All is Full of Love music video I viewed in college that amplifies the physical building blocks of attraction through two white robots who fall in love. However, the tone of this gallery is more about anger and the fighter inside a person rather than romance. My favorite room is one in which an impossible staircase made of sheer red fabric leads toward the ceiling and a tiny light in the distance casts shadows off it over everything. A generous pool of red flower petals cover the floor beneath it. A set of intimates lie on the stairs as if they were recently cast off, Cinderella slipper-like. With the staircase, painted frames and wall trimmings give the playful illusion of a grander, whimsical space that a photograph simply can't capture. The elegant composition of this space reminds me of that beautiful Dior commercial for j'adore Dior perfume in which Charliz Theron walks powerfully toward the camera, removes her earrings followed by her hat and the chunky jewels about her neck that, in one fell swoop, she throws carelessly to the floor. She slips off her dress and moves forward like a lioness, leaving all her material things behind. She says"Don't pretend, Feel what's real." Quotes painted on the wall at the entrance of each space tap into female desires and instincts including the drive to love, to nurture, to protect children, to adapt, to make peace, to transform, to fight when needed, and to survive. The following quote comes at the beginning of the exhibition.

In retrospect, I realize that additional wall text would be a distraction and detract from the success of the psychological and emotional impact through its visual components. The quotations can be interpreted together with the artwork. Music playing matched the mood of each room tastefully.

I wonder if the effect of this beautiful exhibition is empowering enough to women with varying ideas of what Soft Power is. Images of extremely thin models in most of the galleries make it clear what kind of beauty is being celebrated. I’m content to say my ample curves aren't defined by the ideal imagined here. It's a shame that the exhibition is not handicap accessible since the four main rooms are reachable only by a labyrinth of dimly lit stairways that, while adding interest to the space, are not practical for many visitors. As someone with some experience styling fabric, I thought a few of the display boxes needed my expertise. The intent of the exhibition is to generate interest to market the lingerie so that proceeds benefit the National Institute's future Breast Cancer Center. I have some ideas that could've improved its effectiveness. For example, the message could have reached a more mature audience with not much effort.

Three Beautiful Museums in Singapore

The National Museum of Singapore
Last fall at the Thailand-United States Education Foundation or TUSEF seminar we discussed the growing importance of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Since its formation in Bangkok in 1967 among Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, ASEAN has grown to include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. In the expansive and rapidly developing region of SEA (short for Southeast Asia), it's apparent that public education and art appreciation enhance the efforts of leaders to encourage an international perspective for collaborations, to achieve desired unity (initially with the goal of defeating communism), and to address shared economic challenges and growth.
One of the wonderful benefits of Fulbright is the opportunity for travel! Toward this end, I am learning more about ASEAN by visiting Thailand's neighboring countries. My recent trip to Singapore was full of fun and surprises especially in the art. Singapore is a small island south of Malaysia (which is south of Thailand). It’s a teeny, cosmopolitan country with a little of everything; shopping malls, gardens, interesting architecture, markets, fun nightlife, fresh seafood, outdoor activities, and a small beach. Singapore is surprisingly clean, friendly, walkable, and green. Trees line the streets and multi-colored lights illuminate the bridges, while cameras monitor safety throughout. The community is extraordinarily diverse with large populations of Chinese and Indian families. Most Singaporeans are multi-lingual and conveniently for me, everyone speaks English. Pictured above, the Singapore Art Museum houses beautiful exhibitions of contemporary art in a bright white school building founded by a Jesuit missionary. Natural sunlight shines throughout it, spilling into the courtyards. In one sunny courtyard is The Glass Gallery filled with works by contemporary Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara. Nara is widely popular for his endearingly quirky animation of wide-eyed kids with disturbingly violent or humorously pissed off countenances. Sometimes whimsical, the children almost always appear aware, emotive, and innocent. One of his installations is a lime green tree house sprinkled with drawings and crayons within, effectively evoking the creative space of a child's imagination. His paintings are usually humorous, but this one made me tear up with nostalgia for my own childhood and thoughts of a secret design club dreamed up by me and my best friend. Individual drawings within the house reflect more of the artist’s imagination and his childhood. Another of his works in the same glass gallery is one black-outlined cartoon of three girls on white washed wood. It reminds me of of my little sister's musical disasters on her red playskool microphone and portable speakers years ago. The present exhibition of Thai contemporary artist Natee Utarit: After Painting demonstrates an inner dialogue about national identity in the face of westernization. Easily recognizable and sometimes familiar objects appear brightly rendered and unhindered on large canvases. Their visual clarity belies tension inherent in their symbolism. For example, the above painting of a white buddha statue depicts a face of complacency rather than divine essence, implying that Buddhism is not giving followers the kind of security it once did. Natee's other works relay messages of discontent, doubt, and dissatisfaction with long-held beliefs, the present government and national leadership. In paintings of crowded, disorganized barnyard animals Orwell’s Animal Farm comes to mind. Earlier works of Utarit’s seemed to reflect the experience of a Thai artist absorbing western art mediums, and recreating it with Thai elements. One painting of a black and white photograph of a simple Thai landscape absurdly mounted on top of a painting of sixteenth century Titian’s Bacchanal of the Andrians in Celebrate to the Truth and Nothing (2000) is important for this reason. In some ways, it represents a forced recognition of celebrated works of art that actually reveal the artist's disconnect with western art history. I especially enjoyed this black and white painting of Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy. It depicts an image from a postcard, copied by a monk who never visited Italy. There is a series of images from this collection, all of famous landmarks on postcards. How poetic! To depict a place one's only ever seen through postcards. However, this piazza in particular has personal significance for me- the location of a first date! An eery art installation in a dimly lit gallery on the second floor features five wax sculptures of notorious communist leaders. Titled SUMMIT, this controversial work is a commentary on capitalism and the legacy of communism. Extremely lifelike sculptures of Mao, Lenin, Hussein, and Ho Chi Minh appear lying on their backs on red velvet, clothed in uniform. Hard plastic encasement gives them a funerarial effect like an open casket. The fifth sculpture of Fidel Castro lies in a hospital bed instead, and -gasp!- appears to be breathing with the help of a hidden mechanism beneath his shirt, signifying his impending death. The exceptional execution of these works is what makes them so moving and disturbing. What’s odd is that these men appear grandfatherly. The portrayal is one of dignity that is unsettling to me, yet wrinkles and hairs on their faces blotched with the marks of old age reveal imperfections and their mortality. What does cross one’s mind is the power of one person to change the world, and then to leave it without any effort. It makes me think somewhat morbidly of the fleeting nature of time. Writing this entry I learned that another exciting contemporary art fair is coming up in Singapore this month! Rani by artist Subodh Gupta. The brightly colored cow represents India, where cows are sacred, and the color expresses the excitement and anxiety caused by the changes taking place in a country with a rapidly growing middle class. The National Museum of Singapore is a gorgeous building at the base of Fort Canning Park. The most exciting galleries for me were the History of Singapore exhibitions. Walking through with a headset, one has the option of listening to experts about the history of trade in the region and the personal stories of people in the vibrant communities of Singapore since ancient times when Fort Canning Park was still seen as the sacred mountain of buddhist cosmology. The photos above and below come from the Living Fashion Gallery. The history of Singaporean women's fashion is marked by strong Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and American influences. Centered in the photograph above, a shiny, dotted choengsam is a Chinese woman's dress created in the 1950s. Later made of synthetic fiber mimicking silk in combination with a slim-fitting cut, the choengsam represents changes in technology, ideals of beauty, the Asian silhouette, and also, a burgeoning era of advancements in women's rights.
Singpore has the exciting history of being the main hub for SEAn trade. During the time of east India companies, worlds collided here in the interest of progress and empire. Photography from this period reflects the diversity of the clothing, people, and fluid nature of a community where businessmen, immigrants, prostitutes, and coolies carved out lives for themselves in a land far from home. Opium provided a means of escape and recreation that proved fatal to some. Beautiful pipes and bowls remain well-preserved from the heyday of this pastime, alive today in some regions of SEA where the climate is perfectly suitable for growing poppies.
Happy Chinese New Year by the way! Check out what's in store for you ahead in the year of the rabbit.
I finished off my day with a trip to Fort Canning Park just behind the Museum. This is a view from inside the old convent? in the park. Loved every minute at the Asian Civilizations Museum, and dinner outside at the restaurant IndoChine along the river. Admiring the historic Raffles Hotel gave me an idea of where I should stay on my next visit to Singapore!

Bank of Thailand Coin & Textile Museum

My visit to the Bank of Thailand Coin & Textile Museum required a 15 minute trip north on the Chotana highway. I'm glad I took the plunge riding there on my newly rented motorbike. Inside are brightly lit displays in a pale hard wood interior and matching glass cases. Useful labels in Thai and in English in most places appear alongside well-placed arrangements of coins in piles like small treasure troves. Curator Khun Daeng introduced me to the history of the museum that Queen Sirikit opened in 2000. Celebrating the ten year anniversary, the museum presently showcases the best of its numismatic and textile collections. I'm sorry to say that I couldn't take any pictures inside this gorgeous little museum. The Director kindly introduced himself and invited me to future programs. Text panels clearly explain the relationship between currency, textiles, and clothing. Fabric was exchanged often in ancient barter systems, and was used through the early stages of the transition to real currency. With the introduction of the paper bill came new purses, wallets, pockets and new fashion trends to meet the needs of carrying a new form of currency. In the galleries, a few bright white mannequins artistically sculpted out of what looks like papier mache look great adorned with shimmering fabric. The Thai textiles are well-chosen to represent a good variety of forms, techniques and both secular and religious pieces. Clear textual information explains their significance in a straightforward manner. A rich variety of other Southeast Asian textiles is represented from the twentieth century and earlier, and I'll only name a few here: From Cambodia, fine silk ikat skirts of deep purple and warm gold colors laden with figural content. From Thailand, long rectangular blue and white religious banners called tungs, dominated by a geometric framework and woven for merit-making. From Burma, skirt cloths with the distinguishable swirling wavy pattern called luntaya achieng, native green and orange color combinations or pink and gold as British colonists preferred the latter-masterfully achieved by the hands of several weavers in a seven layer weave structure. From India, patola sari inspired brocades historically popular in Southeast Asian courts. Labels explain the motifs and pieces of costumes. Queen Sirikit's influence on fashion is outlined too; specifically, HRH lead a project to establish traditionally-inspired Thai costumes for special occasions. I'm looking for images now to illustrate the pieces of the museum, which will be a nice seguey into describing the main elements of native Thai costume within the early twentieth century. These days, it appears the average Thai incorporates one or two pieces of traditional pieces into their daily wear if at all, while others enjoy dressing entirely in Thai clothing. More to come on my visit!

Photos from my visit to a Buddhist Temple

Child-like monk sculpture in robe with bowl for alms or offering.



Flower offering on a bright white elephant sculpture.
Tree with brass leaves in the temple garden.
Fierce bird guarding the entrance.

"The Emperor's Clothes" Exhibition at Lost Heavens Gallery

I photographed the stunning robes above on my visit to a recent exhibition titled "The Emperor's Clothes." There I met Toy and Ron Simpson, textile collector, dealer, and curator from Toronto. I learned that Ron knew my previous boss at Cora Ginsburg's in NYC, the amazing Titi Halle, and of Dr. Ginsburg. Before I knew it, he was happily telling me the history of several pairs of Chinese slippers from the nineteenth century. Light, delicate, and teeny as they are, they befitted middle class women with bound feet, a practice which was fashionable at the time but which rendered their female wearers nearly immobile by the time they were twelve years old! But really it only hurt to unbind the feet, so one could still walk. In the photograph above, you can see how sweetly embroidered the shoes were and how non-functional too. I imagine the women lounging around in bed all day waiting for their husbands to come home… who, if they were wealthy, would never have wed a girl whose feet were not bound! Hm.. Could I have done that?!
A passionate collector, Ron loves American quilts most of all. We discussed the growing interest in American quilting in both Thailand and Japan, which he saw recently at an expo and which I noted earlier in my blog. Apparently, quilting in western style has become increasingly popular in recent years, where it’s called sashiko. My first thought was of the beautiful old silk hangings made from patches of kimono donated to temples that I first saw in Terry Milhaupt’s class at the BGC--not sure if they were quilts though. After an online image search I found really sweet quilts with miniature kimono shapes made from recycled pieces of silk. I also discovered that Thailand’s first “Quilt Show” took place in Bangkok this past September. Interesting!

Accessories in Northern Thai Hilltribe Style

The Hilltribe Handicraft Training Center has worked with hilltribes Akha, Yao, Lahu, Hmong, Khamu, and Thai. A few of their products stay true to native forms. Example: the jacket for a small boy trimmed with fluffy red cotton above on the left. Much of the inventory incorporates traditional textiles and patterns into modern and sometimes western shapes.
Loud colors like hot pink and electric orange make an eye-catching accessory out of an otherwise small, less conspicuous pouch. 30THB or 1USD.
Purse or pencil case. Plain weave black trim appears often. Is this because it's affordable (probably mass-produced) or because of the belief in "black goes with everything"?
Though it seems to work here, an alternative, higher quality material for the details would better suit the design and craftsmanship of the fabric, or, alternatively, polish off the look by sharpening it, rather than dulling it down. Perhaps an update would improve their marketability too. Just a thought!
Embroidered with swirling floral vines, this teeny bag will carry your cell phone, card, and cash. When that's all one needs, this is sweet and convenient.
Travel light with something original, colorful and soft. Purchases support hilltribe communities at this store which is run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church of Thailand. According to its small wholesale catalogue, this religious organization promotes handicraft training among young people, and then markets their work so that they may attend school on their own income.

*Nimmanhaemin Arts Promenade 2010*

*A version of this entry appears in Shatter Magazine for ethical travel. See Taking a NAP in Chiang Mai for my published article!

Since 1999, the Annual NAP Fair takes place off a main street outside the old city in Chiang Mai. Nimmanhaemin Road, Soi 1 is a charming lane lined with art galleries, home decor shops, clothing boutiques and the occasional cafe. The avenue itself is an intimate and fun social scene, whose smaller streets branch out lazily, flowering with all sorts of colorful little restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes, ice cream parlors, inns, and usually with a construction site or two anticipating the latest new establishment. One reaches all these places by bicycle, motorbike, or an easy stroll. Not coincidentally, Nimman. Ave. (as the name is abbreviated) is also the location of my apartment. Especially in the evening, the nearby fair is beautifully welcoming, warmly lit from above by large paper lanterns in the shape of toy elephants, giraffes, and birds. Just beneath them, a sweeping length of voluminous fabric decorates the night sky with a shallow swag. Walking through, visitors are met with delicious scents wafting from a fresh-flower trellis, soaps and sweets in equally pleasing presentation. Opening on the King's birthday, the fair engages people in the national holiday with wax candles distributed by brightly make-upped girls in traditional Thai costume. Similarly garbed dancers perform in a makeshift theatre to a soundtrack of gamelan music, the brass orchestra of Southeast Asia. Though not without the ubiquitous presence of Elle: Decor and Martha Stewart: Thailand in stands for the distribution of these two widely known decoration and crafts magazines, the NAP fair focuses on local talent. Handmade, one of a kind and gorgeous or adorable works of art (as the case may be for the large number of toy dolls), all sit on display for ogling, photo-happy passersby and customers, including young metropolitan Bangkokians and their families who made the trek north for the NAP festival and to enjoy all Chiang Mai has to offer. During this special week artists, artisans, and shop owners crowd the street with temporary booths, where as usual a considerable outpouring of hilltribe fabrics unique to northern Thailand find their way. An insider now, I know these same brightly patterned cloths can be found most of the time and for cheaper prices in the smaller markets. I'm volunteering for Studio Naenna Textile Gallery for a few evenings of the fair. It's fun to chat with everyone and help guests try on our silk and cotton scarves. The temporary stands cozy up to the usual establishments, whose doors are swung open and welcoming everyone to have a peek at their wares. We invite people to take pictures of the displays and it's just like anywhere else where you see people taking silly pictures with cameras! I can't stop looking at everything and it's overwhelming! A scrumptuous bag of Irish baked goods here, a gingerly placed arrangement of handmade Japanese ceramics there, a sinfully soft handwoven cotton shawl to the left, a set of silk floor cushions to the right. I want to try everything. I fell in love with an acrylic based dyptich of a Wororot Market scene by a Thai artist. Too late though, since it sold at that point for 400,000 THB. Featuring contemporary genre scenes in cartoonish characters from the most typical "Thai" market I've been to in Chiang Mai. Sino-French pop and sharply contrasting Americana inspired sculpture and textiles are attractive now, especially quilts and floral patterns like multi-colored french toile. Though Thailand has gained a penchant for materialism especially in the abundance of fake couture, the NAP fair demonstrates how Chiang Mai fashion and creativity treads a line between brand names and homegrown crafts. The colors and lines are modern and there's a sense of humor in so much of the design- it's fresh! The global variety you can find in a city as laid back, unassuming, and neighborhoody as Chiang Mai is pleasing. There is something for everyone at NAP, which continues across the main street into an open parking lot called the Think Park, usually harbored by a single cafe. This week instead numerous food stalls hug an area of bistro tables and chairs shadowed by sunbrellas in the daylight and overlooked by a musical performance at night. Enjoy gelato, pizza, or a bowl of kow soi, the delicious northern Thai dish. Made with yellow curry, dry yellow noodles, and your choice of chicken, beef, pork, or tofu, one can add any combination of the following condiments at hand at all times; a squirt of lime, a dash of chili-pepper, and spoonfuls of hot pepper sauce, brown sugar, and fish oil. These are essential ingredients on the Thai dining table that I've come to take for granted. Definitely not on the menu at home! In addition to the aforementioned arts and dishes, other things you won't find at most arts fairs but are here in Chiang Mai: A gallery of clever, elephant inspired caricatures and sculptures promoting elephant protection, hilltribe purses and bags with red pom poms and bright patterns, and contemporary paintings including anger-infused depictions of yellow shirts and red shirts representing the present political power struggle in Thailand and in Chiang Mai, referred to by some as "red-shirt country." These paintings play quite a different tone than the rest of the fair, and are surprising to me in a city where people are known to actively repress emotions of discontent most of the time. My favorite booth here isn't selling much, but is advertising educational programs instead. The Sangdee Art Gallery is a thriving community art space cum late-night live music and bar scene cum contemporary art gallery. Love it! Not too surprisingly, there is a Pennsylvania connection. ;) A Lancaster native is gallery director! And other members are bi-continental travelers from NYC too. Invited me to party the first night, drinks on the house!