Korakrit Arunanondchai, Songs for Dying, 2021 HD Video, 30:18 min © Korakrit Arunanondchai 2021; courtesy the artist; Carlos/Ishikawa, London; Clearing, New York; Bangkok CityCity Gallery, Bangkok
Korakrit Arunanondchai
17.9 2022 – 9.4 2023
Stockholm
Opens in 81 days
The subject matter is characterised by dualities such as spirituality and technology, memory and amnesia, contemplation and ecstasy. Above all, Korakrit Arunanondchai (born 1986) sees himself as a storyteller, garnering his material from traditional folklore and rituals, contemporary activism and club culture.
Korakrit Arunanondchai’s practice rests on his interstitial experience as a resident of both Thailand and the USA. Dissolving identity with regard to generation, gender and nationality is a constant theme. Key to his practice is an interest in geopolitical conflicts, especially relating to the history of South-East Asia.
Thai culture and world views are infused with Buddhism and animism. However, Arunanondchai says, these same cultural keystones today form the basis for entirely new national narratives aimed at undermining democratic reform. Ghosts recur in his works as metaphors for repressed trauma and buried history. The artist takes on the role of the shaman, as a link between present and past, life and death.
Korakrit Arunanondchai will produce new works especially for the exhibition at Moderna Museet.
Curator: Lena Essling