Thai artist Tanat Teeradakorn uses music, movement and image to investigate forms of resistance. Structured as a five-act opera, inspired by five songs pivotal in Thailand’s activist history, the exhibition reflects on the pervasive influence of media on politics, economics, and culture while drawing parallels between Southeast Asia and the UK.
On entering the exhibition, audiences are greeted by a souvenir stand, replete with t-shirts, caps, keychains, scarfs, toys and umbrellas, representing these five acts. Inspired by the makeshift booths that populate many city centre locations, Tanat’s bespoke products burst with colour, slogans, and political references. These consumer items become vessels that reflect on how a nation’s identity is shaped, commodified, and disseminated.
Inside, a new video work, The Rise and Fall of Absolutism (2025), blends TikTok-style dance routines with a virtual tour of sites tied to Thailand’s historical and present-day political landscape. Overlaid onto images of these locations are Ramwong folk dancers who perform the graceful movements of the centuries-old traditional dance. The accompanying soundtrack, composed by Tanat, reimagines the five activist songs in his distinctive musical style. Blending together national dance gestures with uprising songs, the work juxtaposes symbols of control and centralised power with examples of resistance against power structures.
The exhibition also features a large backdrop, referencing the visual and performative language of Thai opera, the scenography functions as a portal and a stage, inviting audiences to become a part of the narrative. Illuminated scenes from each act of the opera hang on the walls like windows out to different realities.
National Opera Complex examines how a country is represented, the forces that shape and promote certain ideologies, and their impact on minds, bodies, and socio-political realities. It questions which stories are told, which are omitted, and how both can be used to construct a more truthful and nuanced portrayal of a nation.
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