The milder weather brings with it every year many floral festivals and events where you can get in touch with nature. But if you want to get in touch with nature and appreciate art in one go, Art On Farm at the Jim Thompson Farm Tour, which runs until Jan 1, should be the one stone that kills two birds.
Curated by the team behind the Jim Thompson Art Center in Kasem San 2, the "Art On Farm" initiative started in 2009 and has seen participation from Thai and international artists. This year, 18 artists, including those who have exhibited at Thailand Biennale Chiang Rai and Venice Biennale, show their masterpieces on the sprawling landscapes of Jim Thompson Farm in Nakhon Ratchasima. Here are a few highlights, new and old.
At the box office, you can't miss a large-scale colourful roof titled Trapping The Flows, which is inspired by sai (a type of Thai fish trap). Not only is a sai a tool for catching fish, but a symbol that traps good fortune, wealth and prosperity. You may notice a miniature sai used as a charm at homes or shops to invite customers, luck and riches. It inspires this roof sculpture made of fabric and wire, spanning 400m². This structure hangs beneath the existing steel structure, which represents the Mekong River. This roof sculpture is created by all(zone), a Bangkok-based studio and is light, yet strong enough to resist pressure. Working closely with local artisans, the team experimented with various forms to achieve harmony between resilience and grace. The result is a gently flowing canopy that casts moving shadows and becomes a striking landmark at the entrance — symbolically "trapping” the good things that flow into the farm and welcoming all who arrive with the auspicious inspiration behind it.
Shortly after boarding an open-air bus, you'll see Breast Stupa Topiary by Pinaree Sanpitak. As its name suggests, these steel sculptures represent women, the nature of motherhood or femininity and the sanctity of Buddhism. These steel frames are in the middle of a flower field, ready to be climbed by various vines and peach varieties. This work is part of its natural surroundings and helps create beautiful things for the world, just like the role of motherhood by giving birth to a child with the expectation that they will create good things.
Nakprat Autthayota's four scarecrows are located in different spots but they're all basically large-scale human sculptures made of skeleton steel covered in fabrics and discarded materials and acrylic paints. You'll see the first one not far from Breast Stupa Topiary. It's a five-metre scarecrow in the shape of an Isan man holding a glass of drink to welcome you to the farm. The second one and the third are in the flower field, further down the tour. The former is a scarecrow couple standing at five metres tall with "I Love You" hand signs while the latter is in the shape of a young man whispering his love to a young woman on the back of a buffalo sculpture decorated with colourful stripes. Nakprat's last piece is near the rice paddy close to the Isaan Village. It features three people riding on a buffalo in a joyful pose, gesturing onlookers to look towards the backdrop, which features traditional Isaan homes and ancient Thai and Yunnanese-style houses, arranged to depict the roots of those living in the region.
Families can embark on the Art Trail at the "Lan Sieow Home" zone (a gathering place for close friends) where various art installations are on display amid a flower field. With QR scans, they can discover the ideas and stories behind the artworks along the way. Kuerkamol Niyom uses the friendship concept to create a cute map as your starting point. She compares Khao Phraya Prab and the art installations in the flower fields as friends and turns them into cute monsters on a galvanised iron board. The board serves as a map of the art trail and each magnet monster represents each installation.
Cocoon by Chata Maiwong is the first stop of the art trail and comprises several elements This central piece was created with the existing wrought iron frame in the shape of a giant pumpkin. More than 10 eucalyptus trees were added at the centre, strung together with wires and decorated with a little woodwork, to create a forest that covers the cocoon in the centre, which is woven from iron wires and silk. In the area near the forest and the silk cocoon, there are more cocoons in various shapes placed around it, which are woven from iron frames and colourful silks. Chata invites you to step inside the forest, sit on the cocoon and look up to appreciate the sky and the raw beauty of his various materials.
The Pilgrimage Within by Sanitas Pradittasnee is inspired by Phaya Prab, a sacred mountain which also serves as a backdrop of Lan Sieow Home. This stupa-shaped work aims to create a space where people can slow down and observe the changes in nature around them. The mirrored structure resembles a raised sanctuary, reflecting the natural world surrounding it. Visitors are invited to explore the inside, where they can take time for self-reflection and observe nature through the natural light projection of a camera obscura which brings nature to the inside, but upside down. Its silhouette is inspired by Sukkhathalai (or Arokayasala) at the Prasat Muang Kao in Nakhon Ratchasima, built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. This work serves as a spiritual sanctuary for personal reflection amidst nature.
Still on the trail is People's Tunnel by Mit Jai Inn. The polychromatic and immersive installation is made of iron and covered with painted stripes of canvas screens of different sizes. From the outside, the tunnel appears bold and colourful, almost mimicking in pattern the surrounding flower fields. From inside, sun rays penetrate and cut the canvas vertically creating shifting shadows of this liminal space.
Kelsey Merreck Wagner, who's the resident artist at the farm, presents two hanging weavings at the Isaan Village. One represents a river with its blue hue, the other represents rice, land and mountains with its shades of white, green and brown. They are made of scrap materials from Jim Thompson’s fabric production, as well as discarded consumer throw-aways (look closely and you'll also find a few USB cords). The American artist always combines art and activism in her pieces to raise awareness for environmental concerns. Visually her artwork honours land and rivers as the source of sustenance and economic value. Paradoxically, the weaved materials manifest the glaring truth that plastic pollution has become ubiquitous in natural and built-up environments due to mismanagement and negligence by humans. Next to the hanging weavings, you'll spot a weaving stand where you can use throw-away plastics as leftover materials from Jim Thompson’s fabric production to help create a collaborative weaving project.
Besides Breast Stupa Topiary, all the aforementioned works have been created for this year. The other old-but-gold I would like to recommend is Lost In The Farm, created by Navin Rawanchaikul in 2017. The small truck with wooden poster board features his signature style, which harkens back to the vintage hand-painted movie posters. The Thai artist of Indian descent brings together key figures in Jim Thompson's evolution in one piece. Find it at the Isaan Village.
"Jim Thompson Farm 2024: Isan Calling" runs until Jan 1. Weekday and weekend tickets are available at Ticketmelon. Children and seniors can get in for less than one red note.
