Thai Artist's Work Shows Political Awakening
2020-12-16
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1In some countries, there would not be any problem with art showing French revolutionaries replaced with cartoon cats and birds.
2But it may be a sensitive subject for Thailand's monarchy.
3For artist Yuree Kensaku, the country's political situation shapes her work.
4Protesters in Thailand are calling for reform of the monarchy and other changes.
5"People have started their political awakening," said Kensaku.
6The Bangkok Art Biennale is now showing her latest artwork.
7It combines the influences of her Thai background with her experience making art in La Rochelle, France.
8There, historical works of art showing times of revolution gave her the ideas she uses now.
9Talk of revolution is sensitive in Thailand.
10People loyal to the monarchy say that protesters are trying to bring down that system of government.
11Supporters of the king think protesters are calling for reforms to limit his powers.
12But the protest leaders say that is not their goal.
13The protesters want to remove Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and establish a new constitution.
14Kensaku's parents are Thai and Japanese.
15She was born and raised in Bangkok.
16She said her work is not meant to be a message about the monarchy.
17"We must learn about the past to understand the present but I'm not saying that we have to go that way necessarily," she said.
18Kensaku does not believe that reforms will end the Thai monarchy.
19In the middle of one large Kensaku work, a female body with the head of a chicken holds a flag of blue, white and red.
20It is similar to Frenchman Eugene Delacroix's 1830 painting Liberty Leading the People.
21In Delacroix's work, a woman representing Liberty holds the French flag high over bodies of fighters at her feet.
22The painting depicts France's July Revolution of 1830.
23Kensaku's piece is called Blue, Blanc, Rouge.
24It relates to both the French and Thai flags, which use the colors blue, white and red.
25In France's flags the colors represent freedom, equality and friendship.
26In Thailand, they stand for monarchy, religion and nation.
27Kensaku's other work at the biennale is a sculpture titled "Broken Victoria."
28It is modeled on the Winged Victory of Samothrace, an ancient piece at the Louvre museum in Paris.
29Kensaku's work combines a winged female body with the head of a cat with green hair.
30The cat-woman holds a revolutionary flag above her head.
31A white tie around its middle suggests a symbol of the Thai protests, Kensaku said. And the cat-woman's wing is broken.
32She noted that protestors can get hurt.
33"In order to achieve victory you have to fight for it and it's not going to be easy," she said.
34Kensaku said the indirect symbolism she uses made it possible to show her work in public without risk of trouble from Thai officials.
35Speaking out against the country's monarchy directly can lead to a jail sentence.
36The artist said, "The nature of my work is already self-censoring because it is hiding the truth behind it. It's less risky than other artists out there."
37I'm Jill Robbins.
1In some countries, there would not be any problem with art showing French revolutionaries replaced with cartoon cats and birds. But it may be a sensitive subject for Thailand's monarchy. 2For artist Yuree Kensaku, the country's political situation shapes her work. Protesters in Thailand are calling for reform of the monarchy and other changes. 3"People have started their political awakening," said Kensaku. 4The Bangkok Art Biennale is now showing her latest artwork. It combines the influences of her Thai background with her experience making art in La Rochelle, France. There, historical works of art showing times of revolution gave her the ideas she uses now. 5Talk of revolution is sensitive in Thailand. People loyal to the monarchy say that protesters are trying to bring down that system of government. Supporters of the king think protesters are calling for reforms to limit his powers. But the protest leaders say that is not their goal. The protesters want to remove Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and establish a new constitution. 6Kensaku's parents are Thai and Japanese. She was born and raised in Bangkok. She said her work is not meant to be a message about the monarchy. 7"We must learn about the past to understand the present but I'm not saying that we have to go that way necessarily," she said. 8Kensaku does not believe that reforms will end the Thai monarchy. 9Blue, Blanc, Rouge 10In the middle of one large Kensaku work, a female body with the head of a chicken holds a flag of blue, white and red. It is similar to Frenchman Eugene Delacroix's 1830 painting Liberty Leading the People. In Delacroix's work, a woman representing Liberty holds the French flag high over bodies of fighters at her feet. The painting depicts France's July Revolution of 1830. 11Kensaku's piece is called Blue, Blanc, Rouge. It relates to both the French and Thai flags, which use the colors blue, white and red. In France's flags the colors represent freedom, equality and friendship. In Thailand, they stand for monarchy, religion and nation. 12Broken Victoria 13Kensaku's other work at the biennale is a sculpture titled "Broken Victoria." It is modeled on the Winged Victory of Samothrace, an ancient piece at the Louvre museum in Paris. 14Kensaku's work combines a winged female body with the head of a cat with green hair. The cat-woman holds a revolutionary flag above her head. A white tie around its middle suggests a symbol of the Thai protests, Kensaku said. And the cat-woman's wing is broken. 15She noted that protestors can get hurt. "In order to achieve victory you have to fight for it and it's not going to be easy," she said. 16Kensaku said the indirect symbolism she uses made it possible to show her work in public without risk of trouble from Thai officials. Speaking out against the country's monarchy directly can lead to a jail sentence. 17The artist said, "The nature of my work is already self-censoring because it is hiding the truth behind it. It's less risky than other artists out there." 18I'm Jill Robbins. 19Jorge Silva reported on this story for Reuters. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 20___________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22cartoon - n. a drawing in a newspaper or magazine intended as a humorous comment on something 23monarchy - n. a form of government in which a country is ruled by a monarch 24sculpture - n. a piece of art that is made by carving or molding clay, stone or metal 25symbol - n. an action, object or event that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality 26achieve - v. to get or reach (something) by working hard