Last week, I went with Gade to Chiang Mai University for the Performance Art piece of the 12th Asiatopia International Performance Art Festival, held this year in Chiang Mai instead of Bangkok. I had read about performance art recitals but had never attended. (I looked up the definition: a form of art in which the artist creates a live performance, often using a variety of media.) A variety of media is an understatement.
Click here to see photos of a few performers and my captions.
Most of the performers were from Thailand, the Philippines, and Burma although one from Belgium (a country relocated in Asia?). It was held outside with the audience sitting on the lawn, very close to the performer as there was interaction with us as well. The first one was a woman from Burma, dressed all in white, very delicate and immediately reminding me of Aung San Suu Kyi. She knelt down and began draping light aluminum chains around her arms, legs and body and locking each one with a tiny padlock and key. Then she knelt in front of various members of the audience, offering them the opportunity to unlock the chains and, when they did so, she put the freed chain on them and locked it. It was very moving and especially poignant as it was the day that 65-year old political heroine of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, was released from house arrest after 20 years. When her performance was over, I knew this was going to be a tough act to follow.
And indeed, the rest of the acts were tres bizarre. Gade explained the last act to me as there was a lot of symbolism about Thai politics that I was unfamiliar with, but we were clueless as to the point/symbolism/meaning/whatever of the other acts. We asked afterwards for some enlightenment but you know those artists - they always tell you it's up to you to interpret it.
