Chiang Mai Social Installation: Art History of Cooperative Suffering
Simon Soon's essay in Afterall Journal 42 examines the Chiang Mai Social Installation (CMSI), a series of four art festivals in 1990s Chiang Mai, Thailand, that embedded contemporary art in non-gallery spaces. The essay centers on the 1995 'Week of Cooperative Suffering,' a midnight walkabout where participants carried rocks and were bound by rope, traversing from a Buddhist center through a luxury hotel, red-light district, slum, and ending at a municipal abattoir. Organizers Mit Jai Inn and Uthit Atimana conceived CMSI as a collective, DIY alternative to institutional art, influenced by Joseph Beuys but rejecting his singular artist model. The essay traces Thai art history from Silpa Bhirasri, the 1973 student uprising, and the United Artists' Front of Thailand, positioning CMSI as a critique of global biennial culture. CMSI ended in the late 1990s as a deliberate withdrawal from spectacular festivalization. Soon proposes 'images without bodies' as a method for art history of social practice, emphasizing regional, non-coeval histories over European avant-garde lineages.
Key facts
- Chiang Mai Social Installation (CMSI) was a series of four art festivals in the 1990s in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
- The 1995 'Week of Cooperative Suffering' included a midnight walkabout where participants carried rocks and were bound by rope.
- The walkabout started at Buddhasathan (Chiang Mai Religion Practice Centre) and ended at the municipal abattoir.
- Organizers Mit Jai Inn and Uthit Atimana conceived CMSI as a collective, DIY alternative to conventional gallery spaces.
- CMSI was influenced by Joseph Beuys' 'social sculpture' but rejected his singular artist model.
- The essay traces Thai modern art history from Silpa Bhirasri (Corrado Feroci) and the United Artists' Front of Thailand.
- CMSI ended in the late 1990s as a deliberate withdrawal from global biennial culture.
- Soon proposes 'images without bodies' as a method for art history of social practice.
Entities
Artists
- Mit Jai Inn
- Uthit Atimana
- Navin Rawanchaikul
- Montien Boonma
- Joseph Beuys
- Silpa Bhirasri
- Corrado Feroci
- Chit Phumisak
- Thasnai Sethaseree
- Ray Langenbach
- Simon Soon
Institutions
- Afterall
- Chiang Mai Social Installation
- Chiang Mai University
- Silpakorn University
- University of Applied Arts Vienna
- United Artists' Front of Thailand
- Chulalongkorn University
- Srinakharinwirot University
- Documenta 8
- University of Melbourne
Locations
- Chiang Mai
- Thailand
- Bangkok
- Buddhasathan
- Chiang Mai Religion Practice Centre
- Tha Phae Gate
- Ratchadamnoen Avenue
- Democracy Monument
- Grand Palace
- Dusit Palace
- Isan
- Southeast Asia
Sources
- Afterall —