How can we maintain international cultural exchange in the midst of a pandemic? With boxes and stamps!
The interdisciplinary festival A House In Many Parts invites five art practitioners from France and Germany to prepare packages filled with inspiration to be sent to Thai artists. The content of these packages is not curated but rather a surprise gift. Therefore, five artists from Thailand will receive a care package from Europe that is full of food for thought, ideas and signs of solidarity. Based on each package, we will see five collaborative artworks that reimagine the very act of collaboration.
With this unique concept for international cooperation, the creative director Abhijan Toto, invites the participating artists as well as the audience to challenge and shape the idea of a “spatially separated collectivity”.
“Through the course of these gatherings, A House In Many Parts aims to create a space of collective retreat and reflection. We want to question the many unfolding crises in our contemporary world, and examine the role of artistic practice in hopes of building a collectively habitable future together.”
Artistic Director, Abhijan Toto
“In this pandemic crisis, people of all nations must stick together, and culture remains the most important key to dialogue. The French-German Art Pavilion A House of Many Parts breaks new ground and shows how this exchange between cultural practitioners from France, Germany and Thailand can still work in times of Covid-19. An extraordinary, highly topical cultural experiment that would not be possible without the trust and commitment of the many partners and artists involved. For this I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Maren Niemeyer, Director of the Goethe-Institut Thailand
“The initial idea of A House in Many Parts is to create a space of freedom and exchange dedicated to reflection on contemporary art in Thailand within the framework of Franco-German cooperation.
May this imaginary place promote dialogue, tolerance, acceptance of differences and the rapprochement of faraway places. At a time when the world, affected by a pandemic, could be tempted by withdrawal and rejection, it is important to show that artistic creation is more than ever necessary.”
Thierry Bayle, Cultural Attaché of The Embassy of France in Thailand
With means from the German-French Culture Fond, the French and German Embassy in Bangkok together with the Goethe-Institut Thailand foster the dialogue and cooperation between Thai and European artists.
