As part of a research exchange trip to Thailand Prof. Kate Taylor-Jones visited sites related to colonial history in Thailand, one of which is now used as a location to exhibit art works as part of the Bangkok Art Biennale, the East Asiatic Building Bangkok.

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“Back to 1884, it was the glorious period of the international marine trade. Besides the growth of trade and commerce, countries in Southeast Asia were totally seeking to avoid European’s colonisation. Because of such trading benefit and political reason, King Rama V tactfully decided to develop stronger relationship between Thailand and Denmark by granting East Asiatic Company, the Danish teak exporting company of Mr. Hans Nielsen Andersen, a permission to construct company’s private port. It was a beginning of powerful marine trader, called East Asiatic.” Read more: http://www.bkkartbiennale.com/project/the-east-asiatic-building/

 

One of the works featured is a video art ‘Invisible Stream’ (2018) by Anupong Charoenmitr (Thailand). By juxtaposing scenes taken from Anupong’s visit to Copenhagen (which reimagine how the founder of East Asiatic Company might have envisioned Bangkok) and scenes of the company building in Bangkok set at the Chaopraya river front now partly in ruins, stories of colonial memories and present traces are poetically captured.

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Other sites visited including the O.P. Place which features artworks by various artists including Samak Kosem whose non-human visual ethnography research reveals hidden stories of the Malaysian-Thai border provinces. Connected to the British Malaya, the Southern border provinces of Thailand have been part of Siam through a treaty with Britain during the colonial period. The areas now generated many artists who explore their identities and lives affected by insurgencies due to longtime socio-political conflicts.

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Dr. Wikanda Promkhuntong and Prof. Kate Taylor Jones also visited the Old Custom House which was used as a film location for Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000).