National Awakening Museum
Through her installation, Phaptawan takes us into an adaptation of the divine cosmos within the space of and surrounding the sculpture and painting of a mythical Thai heroine. This work questions the omission and marginalisation of heroic women in mainstream mythology.
What was that? What are we seeing in this museum? Well, museums are where public histories are being told. Sometimes factually, sometimes lyrically. But, in all cases, pretty convincingly. They are historical monuments that are built for us to embody as they are believed to celebrate foundational values for a progressive, modern future, together. Wait, together? With whom?
To begin with, maybe, with each other, as you will soon see in Anchan and Tamarra’s conversation. Or with the legends, folklore, tales, histories —if you may— that we have inherited, embodied and lived on, in spite of our differences. We are all humans, afterall. Or with those whose works we feel and experience yet who rarely have the chance to hear our gratitude; the hundreds of individuals to whom many arts and cultural events owe their achievements to that Cecil & Anggra have made staged in front of us. After walking through Anusapati’s all-wooden classroom, can you imagine children who have only experienced school through the Internet? What would togetherness mean for them?
