Specials

Politics of Fun
Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia

Within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Weeks in Berlin begun at the end of September 2005 the Festival "Spaces and Shadows", organized by the House of World Cultures with diverse events of contemporary Art from Southeast Asia.

The art exhibition "Politics of Fun" was conceived by two curators:
Gridthiya Gaweewong from Thailand, an independent curator and cofounder of Project 304, which focuses on the multidisciplinary projects of local and international artists; Ong Keng Sen from Singapore, artistic director of the theatre group Theatre Works in Singapore. 2002/03 he was curator of the performance festival IN TRANSIT at the House of World Cultures, and 2005 of Insomnia at ICA in London.

Alongside with well-known artists, such as Rirkrit Tiravanija and Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, the exhibition showcases representatives of a younger generation. According to the press release: Its members insist on the right to freedom of expression as an answer to political malaise and cultural amnesia in large parts of the region. In light of monolithic and patriarchal structures, they have developed a defiant motto for survival: "If you can’t change the world at large, you can at least change your own world." With a do-it-yourself artistic approach they create social spaces to move in. Their idealism responds to global developments ranging from Flower Power to the environmental movements co-inspired by Arundhati Roy in India. A basic attitude is manifest in the works shown in this exhibition - an attitude that can be characterized as the "Politics of Fun", a brilliant fusion of individual and political demands with playful action...

The exhibition presents newly commissioned works and others from important collections showcasing 19 artists from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Burma/Myanmar.

For the occasion, the central foyer of the House of World Cultures has been transformed into a "Living Room", where the visitors can view unusual and innovative films by twenty artists.

More about the particular artists and artworks in our
>> Photo Tour

Politics of Fun - artists:
Hafiz
KYTV (Kill Your Television)
Charles Lim
Eko Nugroho
Wit Pimkanchanapong
Po Po (with Myint Moe Aung & Soe Naing)
Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook
Tan Kai Syng
Su-en Wong
Porntaweesak Rimsakul
Rirkrit Tiravanija
Lee Wen & Kai Lam (AIM)
Apichatpong Weerasethakul & Christelle Lheureux

Living Room - artists:
Bandung Center for New Media Arts, BioSampler, Emily Chua & Rutherford Chang, Continuum Asia Project (CAP), Ade Darmawan, Ho Choon Hiong, Santiphap Inkong-Ngam, Bui Cong Khanh, Tran Luong, Nur Hanim Mohamed Khairuddin, Amir Muhammad, Frankie Ng Tze Wie, Yuka Oyama, Lexy Junior Rambadeta, Michael Shaowanasai, Melati Suryodarmo, Tan Pin Pin, Wee Li Lin, Tintin Wulia, Rommelo Yu

Print version

Specials