On 24 October 2024, the Bangkok Art Biennale or 2024 BAB ‘Nurture Gaia’ was launched and transformed the city into a hub of art and creativity. Four artists, three of them participating in the event, spoke about their art and more in a panel organized at SEA Junction on October 25 at 5.30 PM. In this panel organized by SEA Junction, BAB and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Thailand, Mella Jaaresma and Agus Ongge from Indonesia, Moe Satt from Myanmar and Kamolros Wonguthum from Thailand who reflected on power dynamics as they are highlighted in their art works and performances.

Details of the speakers and of their artworks and performances are provided below, this message is to emphasize the complementary of their work in zooming out the concepts of “power” and “repression” in their commercial, political, environmental, gender and other manifestations. Moe Satt in his performance at BAB delves into themes of self, identity, embodiment, and political resistance. His work critically addresses social and political issues in military-ruled Myanmar. Mella Jaaresma and Agus Ongge explore together in a BAB installation the tensions between authenticity and commodification in the use of bark cloths in the province of Papua against the vexed histories of tradition and modernity amidst colonialism and successive central governments of Indonesia. Kamolros Wonguthum uses feminist mythology to address power dynamics in her work and explore the intersection with capitalism through her “patriarchal social radar”.

Photographer: Chawin Chantalikit and Vinissa Kattiya-aree