Ringo Bunoan has arrived in Bangkok looking for good art. The Filipino artist and curator has been invited by Bangkok University Gallery to guest-curate The Brand New Art Project 2012, an annual event devoted to finding fresh voices in the Thai art scene. Now in its 8th year, Brand New shows works by artists who've never had a solo show before _ meaning many of the featured artists are fresh graduates _ and the exhibition has grown to become an important event among the new generation of artists.
The BrandNewArt Project features seven artists and takes place at three venues.
Bunoan is a founder of The Big Sky Mind, an independent art space in Manila that was very active in the 2000s. She's also a researcher at the Asian Art Archive in the Philippines. As a non-Thai asked to explore the terrain of budding Thai art, Bunoan shares with us her views and expectations, and how she avoids that dreaded pitfall of cliche.
You studied art history. You taught for a year at the College of Fine Art, then became an artist and curator. Tell us more about your curatorial standpoint.
Some curators have their frames and agendas, and are looking for works that will fit into what they want to say. They already have their image, and works are projecting their ideas. I think it is a very robotic way. And it is not what artists are actually trying to say, because it is not really engaging with the work or with the artist.
Therefore, I'd like to reverse the rule. When I curate a project, I'm not looking for works. What is more important to me is to bring out what the artists are trying to say. A curator is never above an artist, we work together, hand in hand. The most important thing is the work. The term 'curator' actually is about caring for the artwork. The work has its own story.
Judging from your experience, you should be familiar with art in neighbouring countries. What are your views on the art scene in the Asean region?
Now there are lots of shows focusing on Asean art. People have been asking me what the Filipino art means. My answer is very straightforward: it's art made by Filipinos. I find it very problematic when people try to come up with singular definition of what Asean art, Filipino art, or Thai art is. I don't like generalising, and I'm more interested in looking into details, looking at a specific context rather than looking for a limited kind of definition of something.
Some people try to define what our identity is, but they would come up with some cliche. Then you repeat the cliche over and over. It doesn't show anything, and it also excludes a lot of artists that don't fit into this cliche.
What about art in the Philippines?
The Philippines was a colonised country, so people need a different shade of what Filipino is from what Western is. It happened in the 1970s-80s when people purposely made things look Filipino not Western. I think... yes, we have been colonised _ by Spain, America, and Japan also. But I think instead of rejecting that, just accept it and move on. Otherwise, you will get stuck in the same paradigm.
What have you found about Thai contemporary art after curating for the Brand New Art project? And what was your expectation before you came here?
I didn't expect to look for anything in particular, I just wanted to see what is going on. I wanted to survey, especially among young artists. That's very refreshing. Even though it's so usual for them, it's always new for me, and I think it's a good way to start something.
Young artists here are not trendy. In Manila, lots of young artists follow trends. They are catching a global trend; they speculate what can be sold. But I can't see this phenomenon here. So I like that they are doing their own works; they are finding their own languages, their own voices.
The Brand New Art Project is about searching for young-blooded or emerging artists. What are your specific criteria for recruiting artists? What are you looking for?
Good works. That simple. Most of it is about the attitude of the artists, of their works. I'm drawn to artists who are very real about what they are doing, very honest about their practices. It can be very personal, or can be more social. I'm looking for authenticity in the work and in the attitude of the artists.
The view from outside is interesting, so any more observations on Thai art?
I saw a lot of works that tried to define Thai identity. I just don't want to curate that stereotype, and I don't want to repeat all those cliches.
There were many photographers, particularly in Chiang Mai, are doing works about man and nature. I saw street art and graffiti which is very trendy everywhere even in Manila. Because, for me, it's a trend so it's not new. I'm more interested in an undefined work. A work that somehow doesn't fit into any category. I like the tentative quality of works rather works that are like a dictionary of things. I like works that give room to think about what an artist is trying to say. I think it's far more interesting that you are not posing a statement, but a question.
An art exhibition is temporary and ephemeral, meaning that the development of an art scene needs to be judged by the whole picture which includes freedom of expression, art criticism, variety of ideas in artworks, the audience. So what do you wish to see after this project?
I hope the artists will continue what they are doing and exploring. The downfall of artists is when they end up repeating themselves, and that's the end of art too. The great thing about young artists is their energy, and artists should never lose that.
I guess this is the first big show for these young artists; it's a stepping stone. Who knows what is going to happen with them after five years; I don't want to speculate. And I don't like to say that this show would be very helpful to their careers. You can't tell. It's about a moment, and how to be present in that moment.
