The early summer is when Hong Kong enters art frenzy and the city is awash in inspiring work and captivating exhibitions. There is no better place to acquire the buzz and the beauty of it all than at Katie de Tilly’s gallery at 10 Chancery Lane. For this year’s inaugural Art Basel in Hong Kong De Tilly brings Subjective Truth, Contemporary Art from Thailand, a special project curated by Southeast Asia specialist Iola Lenzi, presenting artists Sutee Kunavichayanont, Tawatchai Puntusawasdi, Michael Shaowanasai, Manit Sriwanichpoom, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit and Prapat Jiwarangsan.
Lenzi described the show thus: “Contemporary Thailand has never been more polarized. The country embodies paradox: for outsiders it represents all that is serenely Buddhist. But from inside, it is perceived by many Thais as politically, socially and even spiritually dysfunctional.” The show contains work that explores this paradox and the intersections that exist in a nation where Red and Yellow shirts clash upon the streets as affluent Thais party above them in the city’s sky-high night clubs. Subjective Truth, Contemporary Art from Thailand brings six distinct and uniquely talented voices to bear on these issues in an exhibition that is both thought provoking and inspiring.