Contemporary high-profile Thai guide Apichatpong Weerasethakul is conducting the world tour exhibition and come to Taiwan at the end of the year. "The Serenity of Madness" exhibition opened on November 30 at theTaipei Fine Arts Museum.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul was born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1970. He was growing up in Khon Kaen and his parents are both doctors. He majored in architecture at Khon Kaen University and received a bachelor's degree in 1994. Then he studies abroad in the United States, majored in filmmaking at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received a master's degree in 1997. He started making films and short in 1994 and completed his first feature film "Mysterious Object at Noon" in 2000. At the beginning of the movie were some interview clips. These interview clips were followed by stories. In the latter part of the movie, they became more and more illusive and sci-fi. The new director Abithabang amazed the entire film industry with a semi-record and half-plot style.
Apichatpong's films have strong surrealism. He often visits the countryside, many local scenes, legends and supernatural phenomena show in his works. With avant-garde narrative methods, these stories are more prominent and rich, and also deepen the audience to the discussion of emotional investment and reflection. He has won several awards at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2002, "Blissfully Yours" won the "Un Certain Regard" award at the 55th Cannes Film Festival. In 2004, Tropical Malady won the International Jury Prize at the 57th Cannes Film Festival.
"Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" is a feature film by Apichatpong in 2010 and won the Golden Palm Award at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival in the same year. It is also the first most prestigious Southeast Asian film. The content of this movie is adapted from the book "A Man Who Can Recall His Past Lives", describing Uncle Boonmee's return to his hometown for the rest of his life when he learns that he is suffering from kidney failure. He met his son who disappeared for many years and became a monkey spirit, seemingly to send him the last trip. Accompanied by his family, he went to the forest and found his past life and next life in the cave in it, and finally reached the end of this life peacefully. There is no soundtrack throughout the film, mainly for the ambient sounds that follow the ups and downs of fantasy stories. The film explores the concept of the mysterious Buddhist cycle of life and death in a unique way.
Since 2009, Apichatpong has produced "Primitive Project", which includes large-scale video installations, the film "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives", and an artist's book. Apichatpong visited the countryside in 2008 for the production of "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" and met Nabua Village on the way. He had a deep understanding of this seemingly peaceful village, but had a painful history. During the Cold War, Nabua village was controlled by the Thai army. The army persecuted the village under the name of besieging the Communist Party. Sometimes it was severely killed because of being crowned by the Communist Party. Sometimes women were raped by soldiers. The villagers had to retreat to the forest to survive. Apichatpong lived with the descendants of the persecuted, recording local memories and stories, and later derived the "Primitive Project".
Apichatpong has received other awards, including "Syndromes and a Century" in 2006, the first Thai film to be shortlisted for the Venice Film Festival, Commandeur de l'ordre des arts et des lettres, France, The Prince Claus Awards, The Netherlands, Asia Pacific Screen Award, Australia, Gijon Film Festival Award, Spain, Fukuoka Prize (Art and Culture), Fukuoka, The Sharjah Biennial Prize, Sharjah Biennial 11th, Hugo Boss Award, Silpatorn Award, Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, Special Jury Prize, Singapore International Film Festival, Singapore, Grand Prize, Tokyo Filmex, Tokyo, Silver Screen Award: Young Cinema Award, Singapore International Film Festival, Singapore and more.
The "The Serenity of Madness" exhibition was produced by Gridthiya Gaweewong and Independent Curators International, ICI. The exhibited works include the first experimental film "Bullet"; "TEEM" use mobile phones to observe and record the film partner Teem's sleeping face in the winter morning; "Ashes" with 35 cm LomoKino; films that reflect and record the history and social phenomena of his hometown, such as "Unknown Forces" and "Fireworks (Archives)". In addition, there are exhibitions of photographic works, documents, script scripts, creative prototype texts, etc. Through the exhibition, people can understand the emotional richness, creative thinking and history of the great director Abithabang, as well as the real and dreamy images he constructed world.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul: The Serenity of Madness
Date: 30 November - 15 March 20120
Venue: Taipei Fine Arts Museum Gallery 3A&3B
Figure 1：Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Tropical Malady / Sud Pralad, 118 mins / 35mm, 1,85:1, Dolby SRD / Colour, Thailand / France / Germany / Italy 2004 © Kick the Machine Films
Figure 2 top left：Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives / Lung Boonmee Raluek Chat, UK/ Thailand / Germany / France/ Spain 2010, 113 minutes / 35mm (blown up from Super 16mm), 1,85:1, Dolby SRD / Colour © Kick the Machine Films
Figure 2 top right：Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Unknown Forces, Thailand / USA 2007, 4 screen installation, various lengths, loops / Digital, 16:9, Dolby 5.1 / Colour © Kick the Machine Films
Figure 2 left bottom：Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Fireworks (Archives), Single-Channel Video Installation, HD Digital, Colour, Aspect Ratio: 16:9, Dolby 5.1, 6:40 minutes (loop), 2014 © Kick the Machine Films
Figure 2 right bottom：Apichatpong Weerasethakul © Kick the Machine Films
