Korakrit Arunanonchai recently opened an installation at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, which tells the story of the formation of a painter. Themes of identity, history and the cultural impact of globalization and technology are united in his bold exploration of the commonalities found through artistic expression.
26-year-old Korakrit Arunanondchai earned his BA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2009 and is MFA from Columbia University in 2012. Born in Bangkok and based in New York, his most recent installation, "Painting with history in a room filled with people with funny names 3," features the artist himself performing as the fictional character of a young Thai denim painter called Chantri. In it, he creates a biographic story, exploring the construction of the artist's image, identity and social realities, while commenting on the ramifications of globalization in Thailand today.
This installation is the epilogue to a trilogy that Arunanondchai completed over the past four years. During the creation of the trilogy, the artist spoke with Interview Magazine, calling the series, "a project to redefine and start a new art practice. Each part -- Death, Purgatory and now Rebirth -- I actually carry out in real life..." The work consists of two parts: "The Body" and "The Spirit." "The Body" is made up of large denim body paintings that are only fully visible from a bird's eye view. "The Spirit" is a video in which the artist converses with the protagonist of the story, Chantri. To experience Arunanondchai's "The Spirit," see the video below.
For this exhibit, Korakrit Arunanondchai draws his influences from Buddhist and Animist elements of Thailand, Pop Culture and technology. His exhibition questions what defines today's artists while exploring the merger of the fictional and non-fictional realities we encounter in our day-to-day lives.
"Painting with history in a room filled with people with funny names 3" will be on view at Palais de Tokyo, Paris through September 13, 2015.
The settings are a collaboration with Alex Gvojic and the music was produced by Harry Bornstein.