by Apichaya Wanthiang
USF Visningsrommet, Bergen 4.-13. April
In the dark of night we enter a sparsely lit space. A red hue emanates from the dark structure
that we are guided through. Looking in from the outside, it seems recognizable as a kind of
shed, its rough outlines contrasting against the slightly infernal light escaping from under the
roof. Once inside, the structure reveals its particular materiality: the corrugated iron plates
with their rusty patches that make up the roof, the worn timber, the lighting itself which
envelops the structure in a surreal half-light. This space is neither here nor there. It creates an
atmosphere that is at once intimate and stifling, recognizable and unfamiliar. Like the liminal
space in a ritual, it opens the way to transformation. During the three hours of Apichaya
Wanthiang’s nightly exhibition Without Waiting for Her Reply, work and beholder meet each
half way in order to establish a new, temporary community.
The structure, built together with Christian Stefanescu, is reminiscent of so-called rest houses
shed, its rough outlines contrasting against the slightly infernal light escaping from under the
roof. Once inside, the structure reveals its particular materiality: the corrugated iron plates
with their rusty patches that make up the roof, the worn timber, the lighting itself which
envelops the structure in a surreal half-light. This space is neither here nor there. It creates an
atmosphere that is at once intimate and stifling, recognizable and unfamiliar. Like the liminal
space in a ritual, it opens the way to transformation. During the three hours of Apichaya
Wanthiang’s nightly exhibition Without Waiting for Her Reply, work and beholder meet each
half way in order to establish a new, temporary community.
The structure, built together with Christian Stefanescu, is reminiscent of so-called rest houses
that are frequently found in the landscape of a Thai rice field. It is an architectural form
indigenous to the artist’s native country, yet its execution in the exhibition space also
transcends this particular cultural reference. It provides the orientation for the visitors as they
move through the installation, imposing certain movements and attitudes that might not be
natural to them, but that belong to the life originally lived in these buildings. Images of this
life can be seen upon first entering the installation. A video consisting of a sequence of still
and contemplative images evokes the rhythm of daily life in the artist’s native community.
We can see its inhabitants carry out their labors and perform their rituals, as well as its
surrounding landscape. More than painting a mere picturesque image, the video works
together with the rest of the installation to install a specific temporal experience. On the one
hand, its slowness requires a level of engagement on the part of the viewer. On the other hand,
it is part of a collection of elements, including the installation structure itself and the subtitles
to the video that are consciously presented as fragments, discouraging a linear reading.
Text: Esther Tuypens (extract)
Full text: Without Waiting for Her Reply
And documentation here: http://apichayawanthiang.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/without-waiting-for-her-reply-documentation/
BEK, Bergen Kommune and the Arts Council Norway generously supported this exhibition. Thanks to USF-visningsrommet, and the installation has been developed and realised in collaboration with Cristian Stefanescu, Sindre Sørensen, Roar Sletteland and BEK.
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