ART BASEL HONG KONG

The work draws on the nationalist policies of Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram,who employed the neo-traditional Thai Ram-vong dance as a tool of state controlduring World War II. In the making of the video, Teeradakorn juxtaposes theseperformances with protest songs to highlight the tension between tradition andresistance across five fictional chapters, recasting the video as a “TV-PSYOP”program that combines dance tutorials, news broadcasts, and research to questionthe role of sound and movement in shaping collective emotions and ideologies.Each chapter is steeped in visual and auditory contrasts, creating a dialogue onthe subversive potential of cultural forms. From the nostalgic Reminiscence (1940),set against Wat Phra Kaew, to the defiant For the Masses (1973) at the DemocracyMonument, Teeradakorn constructs a visual and sonic tapestry of resistance. Theinclusion of Into the New World (2007), a K-pop anthem, bridges local traditions withglobal influences, reflecting the adaptability of cultural symbols in shaping bothindividual and collective agency.

The deliberate installation that mirrors a tourist souvenir kiosk offers a pointedcommentary on the commodification of cultural identity and a nation’s branding tooutsiders. By recreating the transactional spaces of tourism, where curated artifactsare often stripped of their authenticity and reduced to consumable icons, theinstallation challenges viewers to reflect on how cultural heritage is reimagined,repackaged, and sold. This critique extends to the broader dynamics of soft power,where a country’s cultural symbols become tools of image-making, shaping perceptionsthat prioritise spectacle over substance.

Teeradakorn’s The Rise and Decline of an Absolutism transcends the boundaries ofperformance and history, presenting a provocative vision of art’s capacity to inspiredialogue, resistance, and transformation. By interrogating how state-driven narrativescollide with artistic expressions, the work invites viewers to reconsider the powerdynamics embedded in cultural traditions and offers a space to reflect on the enduringrelevance of dance and sound as instruments of both control and liberation.