ASIATOPIA 11/2009
Though performance practice has become a popular form among younger generation in Europe and America, and many countries in Asia with over 100 festival held world wide each year, but in Thailand government agencies and private funders focus their support in traditional art form, rather than contemporary practices. However, in order to keep the creative form going in the local art community most of the time the artists use their own money, or have to work with limited budget.
In November 2008, nearly 100 world reknown artists from 32 countries took turn each weeks to celebrate 10thanniversary of ASIATOPIA international performance art festival, in Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre. Asiatopia performance art festival founded in Bangkok in 1998, by a Thai performance artist Chumpon Apisuk and his colleagues such as Vasan Sitthiket, Paisan Plienbangchang, Surapol Panyavachira, etc… Today the festival has become one of the most important performance platform in Asia, and in the international community of performance art.
Since the founding of Asiatopia a decade ago, many Thai performance artists actively engaged in the international performance art movement, and has been traveled world wide. Asiatopia, in turn has invited more than 300 international artists to perform for the Thai public audience.
For this 11th Asiatopia Festival, there will be 15 international artists from 8 countries including Thailand. They are from Germany, Austria, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, India and Burma.
Mathias Jackisch from Dresden, with his recent sound work which has been perform in many countries in Europe. Eva Ursprung & Doris Jauk-Hinz a dual women performers from Graz, Austria. Their works dealing with the idea of flag as physical and spiritual notion of identification. An international known Asian artist Melati Suryodarmo, from Solo.
Varsha Nair a native of India, an active international performer a resident of Bangkok. Varsha Nair is a writer for Cntrl+P an online performance news-cast, and a member of the Womanifesto a women artists exchange program in Srisaket Province. This is her first time participating in Asiatopia.
Yuenjie Maru one of the leading performance artist from Hong Kong. Kai Lam from Singapore, one of the leading performance artist in Asia. Kai is a leading member of the famous Singapore Artists Village. Jeremy Hiah who runs a nonprofit art gallery in Singapore “Your Mother Gallery”.
From Burma, Zoncy Phyu, a multi talented young artist of the avant-garde community in Yangon. From Thailand there are Chumpon Apisuk, Nopawan Sirivejkul, Padungsak Kotchasumrong, Vichukorn Tangpaiboon, Chakkrit Chimnok and Wanachat Likitmanont.
Asiatopia 11/2009 will be held at Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre on 13-15 November 2009. The festival will tour to Chiangmai for 20-22 November at Tepsiri Studio, Soi Wat U-mong, Sutep Road.
Program
13 Nov 09
18:00 Opening / Introduction to Asiatopia 2009 & Artists welcome by Khun Chatvichai Prommathataveti, Acting Director of BACC
19:00
Melati Suryodarno / Indonesia
Jon Vichukorn Tangpaiboo/ Thailand
Noppawan Sirivejkul / Thailand
Zoncy Phyu /Thailand
14 Nov 09
14:00 Durational work?
Artists talk Maru Yuenjie / Varsha Nair
18:00
Mathias Jackisch / Germany
Chakkrit Chimnok / Thailand
Aman Leung / Hong Kong
Varsha Nair / India,Thailand
Jeremy Hiah / Singapore
15 Nov 09
18:00
Maru Yuenjie / Hong Kong
Padungsak Kotchasumrong / Thailand Wannachat Likhimanond / Thailand
Eva Ursprung & Doris / Austria
Chumpon Apisuk Thailand
