In line with the gallery’s mission to engage the audience with the prevailing environmental issue, Warin Lab Contemporary presents a curatorial project that puts the spotlight on an urgent ecological threat surrounding the Mekong river.
The third longest river in Asia, the Mekong is a trans-boundary river running through Southwest China and 5 countries in Southeast Asia: Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The construction of 28 hydroelectric dams along the Mekong in recent decades causes serious problems for the river’s ecosystem. The threats not only include unseasonal drought and the loss of species native to the area but also the detrimental effect to the livelihood of local communities who live along the river for generations. With such geographical coverage, the Mekong river is an integral part of culture, tradition, and belief that define a large part of Southeast Asia.
The project titled “Mekong’s Vulnerability” presents the work by 2 Thai artists; ubatsat and Nakrob Moonmanas. Both of them creates a new body of work especially for Art SG presentation.
ubatsat is an artist and activist from Chiangmai. In this exhibition, he continues to materialize the result of his on-field research on the disruption brought upon by mega dams. The invasive development threatens to blast extensive area of rock formation in the Mekong river where ridges, sandbanks, and rocky areas house various sub-ecosystems native to the river. The biodiversity of 1,200 freshwater species as well as flora and fauna are at their fragile stage.
ubatsat will present a series of newly created semi-abstract paintings depicting visuals of 11 different sub-ecosystems in the Mekong River.
Nakrob Moonmanas looks at Mekong’s vulnerability through the lens of culture. The ancient river nourishes millions of lives as well as enriches them spiritually by providing ground for long standing history – a place where the identity flourishes. His artwork presents the intangible component of the river that substantially constitutes heritage and tradition in Asia’s sub-region.
Moonmanas traces local folklores originated in the Mekong Delta with reference to political turmoil that happened in this region. Best known for the art practice that fuses fragments of history with current iconography, Moonmanas will present art installation of found objects as well as a series of limited editioned prints of digital collages. Moonmanas offers contemporary narratives to the historical records while discussing the issue at hand.
