The Good Lab – Artist Residency Update

 
Last night’s exhibition opening was fantastic, and an honour to be part of this with such talented artists while we are here in Chiang Mai together.

It has been a whirlwind of a week, with all 21 artists from across the world, with artists from here in Thailand, and from Indonesia, The Philippines, Portugal, Cambodia, Spain, Taiwan, the USA and fellow Australians, all getting to know each other and our practices, sharing ideas, inspirations, and already brainstorming together ways to collaborate on outcomes for week two.

We kicked everything off with an impromptu house party with the New Burma collective, then a welcome dinner together, and I believe on day two, we had a fabulous walking tour looking at the architecture of the people by the even more fabulous professor Ajarn Phuwa of Studiophuwa, which was so fascinating.

Two panel discussions in the grounds of Wat Chomphu Temple, on the re-invention of Public space in Chiang Mai, with Phwua, and remarkable artists Wave Weeratouch Pongruengkiat, and Krai Sridee, and Art for Air, a time for reflection, looking at the issues of the pollution crisis here, with insights of the work and research by artist Som Supaparinya, Worapoth Kongngern and Sasiwimon Wongjarin, founder and director of Studio 88 artist residency, where we also met a group of environmental artists also currently on residency here in Chaing Mai, with Sasiwimon.

Lucky for me, I also got to celebrate my birthday in the middle of this residency! So, on my birthday, we went to the Loft Cafe/Golden Land Solidarity Collective (what a beautiful space! I highly recommend if you find yourself in Chiang Mai) for a creative talk and panel discussion, ‘Aren’t We All Displaced?’ where we heard from the inspirational, Hnin Yee, the co-founder of Newburma Suchart, co-founder of Titang, Ganji of Triple Edge and Breanna, the founder of Golden Land Solidarity Collective, who are all actively doing so much for their communities, to support, empower, advocate and celebrate the culture and people of Myanmar and those displaced.

We then ended the evening with a screening on a rooftop of a Sudanese film, ‘Talking About Trees’, Directed by Suhaib Gasmelbari, which was hosted by Dude Movie, a film screening collective decentralising access to moving image. This was such a fitting location to watch this film, given the topic, where the filmmakers struggled to open and screen a film in an open-air cinema for their community.

Along with another screening of documentaries on Friday night of ‘Mother and Me’, by Setthasiri Chanaradpong, for its premiere in Northern Thailand, and Captial of Mae La, by Nuankhanit Phromchanya, which was followed by talk on the topic of displaced people, with the directors and Sorayut Aiemueayut, writer of ‘Becoming Melayu’, Walai Buppha, producer of ‘Mother and Me’ and curator of ‘Heard the Unheard: Remembrance of Tak Bai 2004, Hnin the co-founder of Newburma and Nuankhanit Belle Phromchanya, Director of Capital of Maela.

I have also seen and made friends with so many street cats, walked a ridiculous amount each day, so much so that my phone is confused by the increased step count. Shared and enjoyed incredible food and drinks with artists and locals while sharing stories and experiences. Heaps of live music and late-night adventures. Followed each morning by copious amounts of coffee as we have all tried to digest the intense week we have had over week one of The Good Lab residency by Micro Galleries.

And while I am still processing much of it, and I suspect I will be for quite some time, it has already inspired so much, and I am so thankful for the experience and the connections I am making here.
Today is a quiet and slower start, which is very much needed. After our opening last night and dancing the night away at a cool underground bar, I am currently in a van heading up the mountain with everyone to experience the last night of the Shambhala festival.
I am looking forward to the final week of collaborations and working with the community to reclaim an old alleyway into a more welcoming and safe space for the community. 

 

 

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ARTiFacts: Art For The Future

𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐢𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬: 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

A group exhibition at SOME SPACE Gallery, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Art from 17 international and local artists, live music from Triple Edge, Techinfolk, Anna Maria Olsson.
Co-curated by Micro Galleries and SOME SPACE and in partnership with Lanner, TEMPO.wav, Tomorrow.Lab, and Triple Edge, this exhibition is part of Micro Galleries’ The Good Lab program: a two-week guerrilla artist residency, knowledge-sharing, incubator, and community engagement initiative.
 
Exhibiting Artists:
•⁠ Dakarai Akil (USA)
•⁠ ⁠Yuni Bening (Indonesia)
•⁠ Kristine Buenavista (Philippines)
•⁠ ⁠Marrz Capanang (Philippines)
•⁠ ⁠⁠Noel Epalan Jr. (Philippines)
•⁠ ⁠Rhiannon Hopley (Australia)
•⁠ ⁠Miguel Jeronimo (Portugal / Cambodia)
•⁠ Lee, Chun-Tsung (Taiwan)
•⁠ Luigerman (Colombia)
•⁠ ⁠MediaLegal (Indonesia)
•⁠ ⁠Catherine O’Leary (Australia)
•⁠ Mandy Schoene-Salter (Australia)
•⁠ Sarah Sculley (Australia)
•⁠ Satita Taratis (Thailand)
•⁠ ⁠Uncle Joy (Indonesia)

Opening Night – 17th February: 
6 pm – 7.30 pm: Air on the move: A talk with campaigners + Activists 
7.30 pm – 8 pm: Meet the artists
8 pm – 10 pm: live music performances and visual jams by Triple Edge, Techinfolk, and Anna Maria Olsson
 
Artifacts: 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞
SOME SPACE Gallery
124/4-5 Sri Poom Rd, Tambon Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
17 – 24th February 2024
6 pm – 10 pm each evening

 

Exhibition Statement:

An artifact is a tangible object, made by a person, imbued with cultural, historical, or personal significance. It’s a concrete piece of the past that tells a story, sparks curiosity, and connects us to our roots. artifacts are vital because they preserve our heritage, teach us about our ancestors, and help us understand how societies have evolved over time. They’re like time capsules, offering invaluable insights into human ingenuity, creativity, and resilience.
 
At Micro Galleries, in 2024, we are making ARTifacts. These are objects made for the future. These are not merely objects of aesthetic beauty or historical significance; they are imbued with deeper meaning, serving as conduits between the past, present, and future. At their core, ARTifacts represent the fusion of creativity and purpose, as artists draw upon the rich tapestry of human experience and knowledge to craft items that offer hope, inspiration, and guidance for future generations to remember, learn and use to create a better future.
At the heart of the ARTifacts concept lies the idea of using art as a vehicle for storytelling to the future. Each ARTifact is a tangible manifestation of our collective memories, experiences, and aspirations. They serve as imprints of our journey through time, capturing the essence of what it means to be human in an ever-changing world, and to convey information from the past while simultaneously offering glimpses of a better future.
 
ARTifacts can have a practical utility beyond their aesthetic value. They can serve as tools for education, empowerment, and social change: catalysts for transformation.
 
At the heart of this exhibition lies a profound question: How can we meet the needs of all people within the means of the living planet? This question serves as our guiding light for all our 2024 programs, drawing inspiration from the principles of Doughnut Economics and its call for balance between human prosperity and planetary health. It is a compass that directs our journey towards a more equitable, sustainable, and harmonious future.
 
These 17 artists have created ARTifacts for you to explore and be curious about. They explore a diverse range of themes and present them through an even more diverse range of practices and cultural lenses. Capturing nature through urban aesthetics, harnessing technology to explore beauty, upcycled materials and illustrations to bring joy and playfulness, Afro-futurism through assemblage, small poems and books of hope and connection, photography that poetically captures our present which has our future kinetically embedded within it and new media art + augmented reality to propel us visually forward.
 
May you find moments of beauty, joy, and connection at SOME SPACE amongst these ARTifacts. And, when you leave, amidst the challenges we face, may you go forward with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to changing the world…in small and creative ways.

 

 

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