Gallery VER

Footnotes on Institution
Venue: Gallery VER
Date: June 1 – July 7, 2019
Opening Reception: June 1, 2019; 7 pm onwards
Artists: Latthapon Korkiatarkul
Nipan Oranniwesna
Saroot Supasuthivech
Apichart Thitiwongworasakul
Pongsakorn Yananissorn
Curator: Pojai Akratanakul

Frequent conversations among the contemporaries of artists and art practitioners today usually include the bemoaning of the logic and uncertainty around Thai art institutions. But many of these complaints suggest too that behind such disappointment lie what were once glimpses of shared ideal and hope within the community. From this observation, the exhibition wishes to continue the conversations and poses the following questions: “What hope do we have for art institutions, if any?” and “What does ‘art institution’ mean in Thailand’s context today?”

Gallery VER presents a group exhibition titled Footnotes on Institution featuring five contemporary artists: Latthapon Korkiatarkul, Nipan Oranniwesna, Saroot Supasuthivech, Apichart Thitiwongworasakul, and Pongsakorn Yananissorn. The exhibition brings together past works and new commissions that in different ways speak of the term ‘art institution’, be it from the utilizing of the institution as a medium, to adapting historical narratives, influences, and institutional modes of thinking as part of the work, or even as an expression of admiration when reminiscing of art institution and its aura. However, it is important to note that the purpose of the artists as presented is not only that of critique of the art institution, nor the bemoaning, but composed of something rather delicate.

The constellation of the artwork in the gallery, which is somewhat altered to mimic the institutionalized ‘international standard’ mode of presentation, intends to spark the discourse around Thai contemporary art institution. While the exhibition aims not to present the overview of such an overarching topic, it is the piecing together of case studies and fragments of stories, that gave the title to the exhibition as Footnotes on Institution. The exhibition, in this case, functions like a ‘footnote’ that provides extra information, indicative of the roots and footing, that otherwise does not exist on the page.