ICA kyoto TALK 059

Comparative Art Histories in Asia: Thailand and Japan, 1990s–Present

Speaker： Gridthiya Gaweewong (Artistic Director, Curator of the Jim Thompson Art Center / Bangkok, Thailand)
Moderator： Mami Kataoka (Director of ICA Kyoto)
Interpreter： Miho Tsujii

This talk will be conducted in two parts. In the first half, guest speaker Gridthiya Gaweewong will present an overview of the transformations of contemporary art in Thailand from the 1990s to the present. Beginning with the emergence of artists such as Rirkrit Tiravanija, Montien Boonma, and Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook in the 1990s, she will trace the trajectory from independent spaces and artist-led initiatives to the establishment of major institutions such as the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) and the Jim Thompson Art Center in the 2000s, and further to the expansion of biennales since the mid-2010s, all in relation to shifting political and social contexts.
In the second half, Mami Kataoka, Director of ICA Kyoto, will respond to Gridthiya’s presentation and attempt a comparative discussion with the Japanese art scene since the 1990s. By examining the art practices of Thailand and Japan—two countries that both embarked on state-led modernization in the late 19th century—without direct reference to Euroamerica, this dialogue will provide an opportunity to reflect on institutional backgrounds, the role of practices in the public/private/civil society sector, and the positioning of contemporary art within Asia today.

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Event Details

Date： October 3 (Fri.), 2025, 18:30-20:00
Venue： Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art Lecture Hall (Main Building B1F)
Capacity： Approx. 50 persons / Advance booking is not required
Admission： Free
Organized by： ICA Kyoto, Kyoto University of Arts Graduate School
Cooperation： Higashiyama Artists Placement Service (HAPS)

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Gridthiya Gaweewong

Gridthiya Gaweewong is an Artistic Director and curator of the Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok. Her curated projects within Asia, Europe and the Americas include The Open World, Thailand Biennale, Chiang Rai (2023); Imagined Borders, the 12th Gwangju Biennale (2018); Between Utopia and Dystopia, Mexico City (2011); Unreal Asia, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, Oberhausen (2009); and Under Construction, Tokyo (2000–2002). Gaweewong was a guest curator of an exhibition Apichatpong Weerasethakul: The Serenity in Madness that toured six cities (2016–2020), initiated by the Independent Curators International (ICI). A 2018 fellow at the Center for Curatorial Leadership, MoMA, New York, Gridthiya is also a member of the acquisition committee for the Singapore Art Museum since 2020. Recently, she serves as a member of the Finding Committee for Artistic Direction of Documenta 16. Gridthiya was awarded the French Ministry of Culture’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2023, and Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence from Bard College (CCS Bard) in 2025.

Mami Kataoka

Director of ICA Kyoto, director of the Mori Art Museum, head of the National Center for Art Research, Kyoto University of the Arts Graduate School professor. Joint artistic director of the 9th Gwangju Biennale (2012), artistic director for the 21st Sydney Biennale (2018) and the Aichi Triennale (2022). Board member (2014–20) then president (2020–22) of the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM). Director of the KUA ANNUAL exhibition for the Kyoto University of the Arts 2017–19.

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About ICA Kyoto TALK

ICA Kyoto was set up in 2020 as an adjunct to the Kyoto University of the Arts Graduate School, and since then has offered an ongoing program of talks with guest artists, curators, researchers, and gallerists working in Japan and elsewhere. ICA Kyoto TALK is part of this program, and has now merged with the previous Global Art Talk initiative in a platform designed to connect Kyoto with diverse art scenes worldwide, and encourage dialogue. The aim of ICA Kyoto TALK is to open up new perspectives by moving between local, on-the-ground activities and global trends to deliver authentic experiences of our multilayered world.

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Contact

info-icakyoto@office.kyoto-art.ac.jp

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