Looking Together at the Boundary... Korean Artists Who Toured Bangkok with Gangneung Works

In the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown, within the evocative walls of the Bangkok Kunsthalle, a contemporary art space housed in a building bearing the scars of a decade-old fire, Korean artists presented a vibrant display of traditional performing arts. The traditional performing arts group Punyeori brought the spirit of the Gangneung Danoje festival to Thailand, performing its music, songs, and dances in a condensed, 30-minute percussive rendition.

The performance, characterized by the intense rhythms of gongs, kwaenggwari, and janggu, filled the space, weaving through the remnants of the fire-damaged structure. Punyeori's energetic drumming, intended to ward off misfortune and wish for the happiness of the living, created a powerful dialogue with the contemporary installations by young Thai artists. These works, which reinterpreted traditional Thai houses and agricultural products with a modern sensibility, provided a striking backdrop to the traditional Korean performance.

This event marked the opening of the international collaborative exhibition 'Watching Together at the Boundary.' Co-organized by the Pamari Research Culture Foundation, which runs the Gangneung International Art Festival (CIAF), and the Khao Yai Art Foundation of Bangkok Kunsthalle, the exhibition is a cultural exchange project. It features works by Korean and Thai contemporary artists that were initially presented at the third Gangneung Festival last year, now recontextualized for Bangkok's urban environment.

The audience responded enthusiastically to Punyeori's percussive performance, finding echoes of Thailand's own Songkran festival, a traditional water-sprinkling celebration for good fortune. "I remember seeing performances and rituals with a similar feeling in various regions of Thailand," said young painter Ramill, 27. "Even though the history and geography of each region are different, the stories and emotions of life contained in art connect us and become precious bonds of exchange."

Other featured works include Jeong Yeon-doo's single-channel video 'Syncopation #5,' which combines footage related to Gangneung Danoje, such as making sacred liquor and burning rituals, with piano melodies. This piece, along with others by artists like Ko Sung-mook, Lee Yang-hee, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, and Hong Yi-sook, explores the regional histories and life stories of Gangneung and Thailand metaphorically and symbolically. Jeong Yeon-doo explained that his work captures the will to continue life despite natural challenges, as felt in the Gangneung Danoje festival and the lives of its residents. He noted the unique experience of seeing his work reinterpreted in the Bangkok exhibition space, a former textbook printing factory that had been abandoned after a fire.

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Even though the history and geography of each region are different, the stories and emotions of life contained in art connect us and become precious bonds of exchange.