Happy New Year to one and all. I'm just back in Tokyo after spending the holidays in Bangkok, where, you might be interested to know, Project 304, About Art Space and the city's four or five other contemporary-art players got together to celebrate the finale of a successful video and film program that ran through December.
Good things are happening in Bangkok -- I saw an inspired set of performances by a trio of young Thai artists at About Art Space last spring, and if public interest and support continues to expand beyond Thailand's expat community, as it has been doing, it won't be long before we see even more of the country's emerging artists.
Currently, the country's rising stars include installation artist Navin Rawanchaikul (who has a Japanese wife and spends much of his time in Fukuoka), conceptualist Rirkirt Tiravanija and organizer of happenings Surasi Kusolwong, who held raffles for valuable prizes as part of last year's Opera City Gallery exhibition "My Home is Your Home, Your Home is Mine." Tiravanija is already booked for a show at Tokyo's Opera City Gallery this May.