Opening on 17 February 2017 at MCAD Manila, The Serenity of Madness will include a select survey of rarely-seen experimental short films and video installations by Weerasethakul, alongside his feature length films, sculpture, photography, drawings, sketches, and archival material. The exhibition programme will begin with a Public Talk by Apichatpong Weerasethakul at 4.00pm at the DLS-CSB SDA Theater, 5th floor followed by the opening reception at the museum at 5.30pm.
PROGRAMME
Public Talk by Apichatpong Weerasethakul 4.00pm
Benilde SDA Theatre, 5th Floor
RSVP is required for entrance to the Public Talk
Please do so by 10 February 2017
Exhibition Opens 5.30pm
Priority access will be given to attendees of the Public Talk
Welcome Remarks 6.20pm
Br. Dennis Magbanua FSC
President, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde
Introductions 6.30pm
Gridthiya Gaweewong, Curator
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
One of the most original filmmakers and artists of our time, Apichatpong Weerasethakul has developed a distinctive language which approaches fragments of life, from passing gestures to the great cycles, from the often occurring to the unseen, in arresting and compelling narratives. Deeply invested in the life, culture, spirituality, and struggles of the people excluded by the elite nationalist project of the Thai state — primarily the people of Isan, the region of his upbringing, many of Weerasethakul’s works hail from within these universes. They employ historical allusions, myths, codes and visual language, but most importantly references to the contemporary vernacular and political struggles of the marginalised strata of Thai society. Weerasethakul does not however document this world from the outside, he employs its intimate vocabularies, creating deeply original art works and films that can be seen as both part of a living contemporary of the lower classes in Thailand and pieces of universal relevancy in our contemporary world. Often read as surrealist, Weerasethakul’s works contain however deeply coherent and carefully constructed parameters, with narratives following a specific logic and references that are not devoid of humour or satiric intentions.
Download the exhibition press kit here.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul: The Serenity of Madness is a traveling exhibition curated by Gridthiya Gaweewong and produced by Independent Curators International (ICI), New York. The exhibition and tour are made possible, in part, with the generous support from MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, Chiang Mai, the ICI Board of Trustees and ICI’s International Forum. The presentation at Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD), Manila has been organized in collaboration with Joselina Cruz. Additional support has been provided by the Royal Thai Embassy, National Book Store, Craftpoint Brewing Company, Premier Wine & Spirits, Inc., and Pacific Paint (Boysen) Philippines, Inc.
