What Cannot Be Forgotten, Must Be Celebrated

Research Background In Southeast Asian contemporary art, trauma is addressed in several ways. The Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama views her artistic practice as a means to cope with her hallucinations and mental illnesses. The London-based Chinese artist Shiyu (Icy) Qiao uses line animation and basic visual effects to address the pathological extremes of contemporary and traditional Chinese culture. The Filipina artist Dee Jai takes an active social role in reaching out to damaged youth. All these artists employ one form or another of a confessional strategy. A potential problem with this is that a confession can easily become a performance, thereby risking lessening its impact. Research Contribution My exhibition 'What Cannot Be Forgotten, Must Be Celebrated' consisted of 14 paintings, 2 digital prints, 1 set of 7 lightboxes and 1 projected video. It was open for October to November of 2025. Through this variety of media, I address personal loss through a lens of science fiction and fantasy. In my digital art the technologies I employ are the same as those found in Hollywood style visual effects. Importantly, my position to the subject matter is essentially playful, seeking to engage the audience with fantastical and appealing imagery. Research Significance The venue for this exhibition was Bangkok University Art Gallery (BUG) and was financially supported by them. The exhibition was curated by the notable Thai curator Pojai Akratanaku. It was favorably reviewed by TimeOut Bangkok and named by Koktail magazine as one of the top five attraction in Bangkok in October (2025). The opening was attended by over 100 visitors.

一、研究背景 在东南亚当代艺术领域，创伤议题的表达路径多元。日本艺术家草间弥生（Yayoi Kusama）将其艺术创作视为应对幻视与精神疾病的途径；旅居伦敦的华裔艺术家乔诗雨（Icy Qiao）通过线条动画与基础视觉效果，探讨当代与中国传统文化中的病理化极端表现；菲律宾女性艺术家迪·杰伊（Dee Jai）则以积极的社会角色介入，为受创青年提供帮扶。上述艺术家均采用了不同形式的告白式创作策略，但此类路径存在潜在弊端：告白极易演变为表演性表达，进而削弱其议题感染力。二、研究贡献 我的展览《不可忘却，必当颂扬》（What Cannot Be Forgotten, Must Be Celebrated）包含14幅绘画作品、2幅数字版画、1组共7台灯箱装置以及1部投影视频，展期为2025年10月至11月。本次展览依托多元媒介载体，以科幻与奇幻视角诠释个人的丧失体验。我的数字艺术创作所使用的技术，与好莱坞风格视觉特效所采用的技术同源。尤为关键的是，我对创作主题的处理本质上带有游戏性，旨在通过奇幻且富有吸引力的视觉意象与观众建立联结。三、研究意义 本次展览的举办场地为曼谷大学美术馆（Bangkok University Art Gallery, BUG），并获得了该馆的经费资助。展览由知名泰国策展人波查伊·阿卡塔纳库（Pojai Akratanaku）策划，《TimeOut Bangkok》对其给出了正面评价，《Koktail》杂志亦将其评为2025年10月曼谷五大热门展览之一。开幕式到场观众逾百人。