Tradition and Modernity in South East Asian Art

东南亚艺术：在传统与现代中前进

Date: June 12th - July 15th, 2006

Location: Asian Fusion Gallery at New York, 15 E 40th Street, New York, NY 10016

Asia’s artistic contrasts on display in New York this summer

The Asian Fusion Gallery, located in the Asian Cultural Center at 15 East 40th Street, will show the work of three important South East Asian artists this summer opening on June 12th in an exhibition organized by Brooklyn’s Galerie L’Indochine and the Thavibu Gallery in Bangkok, Thailand.

The exhibition, ‘Tradition and Modernity in South East Asian Art’ displays works by three very different artists, from two disparate countries – Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand.

The leading artist in this triumvirate is the highly respected Burmese artist, U Lun Gywe who, at 74, is still painting and has influenced most, if not all, of the current generation of Burmese artists. His work, in the impressionistic style, is bold and colourful and is considered by some to represent the summit of western influence on his country’s art. Nature and religion are reflected in many of his canvases and the peace and tranquility of his scenes are but a backdrop to the nation’s political anguish.

Not so traditional is the work of two young Thai artists, Jirapat Tasansomboon and Therdkiat Wangwarcharakul. While their colours are every bit as vibrant as U Lun Gywe’s their subjects and their styles are markedly different. The political repression in Burma has effectively extinguished art as a medium of social comment. In the politically volatile Thailand, however, artists are afforded many opportunities to reflect on issues of national as well as international significance.

Jirapat juxtaposes traditional Thai mythology with the contemporary western mythology of the super-hero and the movie icon, and he explores the tensions between both. Therdkiat, on the other hand, sees the decay of urban Bangkok as synonymous with the crisis of individuality in a controlling society. His canvas is aluminium, and in his representations of life in Bangkok, the medium is very often part of the message.

This exhibition will continue until July 15th. The gallery hours are
Mon- Fri – 11a.m. to 5p.m. and Saturday 11a.m. to 4p.m.

Further information is available from: www.galerielindochine.com

Phone: 212 557 2060

A Hero with Thai Headdress
Jirapat Tasansomboon

Railway Station
Therdkiat Wangwarcharakul

Sea Beach
U Lun Gywe

The Transformation of Sita
Jirapat Tasansomboon

Yellow Dancer
U Lun Gywe