Meeting & Seminars
International Symposium “Phantom of Cold War: Traces, Aesthetics, and the Reinterpretations of Contemporary Politics”, Public Program For “The Shattered World” Exhibition
Organised by Education Department, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
In collaboration with Jim Thompson Art Center, and MA in Curatorial Practice programme at Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University.
Time: 10.15 – 17.00 hrs. (Registration begins at 10.00 hrs.)
Phantom of Cold War: Traces, Aesthetics, and the Reinterpretations of Contemporary Politics
The Cold War has long existed in the ambiguity and uncertainty of Thai society. Unlike its neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, Thailand was not directly engulfed in the war or subjected to the geopolitical tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States.
However, as a strategic “base” for the U.S. and a battleground for guerrilla warfare waged by the Communist Party in its forests, Thailand became a site of ideological struggle in multiple dimensions—diplomacy, politics, policy, and cultural thought. Propaganda, rich with ideological messaging from both the free world and Communism, infiltrated everyday life.
The consciousness of being Thai—shaped through tastes, values, and modern sensibilities—was deeply intertwined with Cold War narratives. Music, food, art, and aesthetics became vehicles for shaping ideological values. In this sense, the “coldness” of the war in Thailand did not manifest as a conventional proxy war between two opposing camps, but rather as a complex, integrated force that seeped into daily life, embedding itself in the social mores and political landscape.
The Cold War, then, is like a phantom—silently haunting Thai society, shaping perspectives, and influencing choices about values, freedom, and political decisions. It has left an undeniable legacy, a deeply ingrained influence that continues to guide the collective consciousness.
With this in mind, the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, the Jim Thompson Art Center, and the Master of Arts Program in Curatorial Practice (International Program), Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University are organizing an international symposium, Phantom of Cold War: Traces, Aesthetics, and the Reinterpretations of Contemporary Politics. As part of the exhibition “The Shattered World”, this symposium seeks to uncover the lingering traces of the Cold War’s phantom—how its aesthetics, it manifestations in daily life, and political interpretations continue to shape Thai society and its self-perception in an increasingly shattered world.
– This talk will conduct in English with Thai translation
– Free admission & Registration required
Registration via Google Forms: https://forms.gle/1bCe2aKZTqv9c17R6
For more information, please contact:
Education Department, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Tel: +66 (0) 2 214 6630-8 ext. 519
Email: [email protected]
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