Korakrit Arunanondchai's 'with history in a room filled with people with funny names 4' at Clearing, New York

Korakrit Arunanondchai's exhibition at Clearing, New York, running from March 11 to May 7, 2017, explores the intersection of data, materiality, and mythology. The centerpiece is a 23-minute cine-essay that juxtaposes the rise of Donald Trump and the death of the king of Thailand, highlighting collective gatherings in times of political uncertainty. The artist's grandmother, Tipyavarna Nitibhon, appears in the film, descending into dementia, her domestic 'assisted readymades' displayed in the installation 'With History… 4 (house) (1979–2017)'. Another installation, 'With History… 4 (garden) (2017)', features a totemic structure of soil, seafood shells, fiber optics, dead pine trees, car parts, and glass bulbs, envisioning a postapocalyptic temple of the Nāga deity. Arunanondchai draws on neuroscience and philosopher Catherine Malabou's ideas of brain plasticity to forge new alliances between psychic, cultural, and technological life. The exhibition was reviewed in the May 2017 issue of ArtReview.