UNECO Bangkok, jointly with the SUPPORT Foundation of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, MOCA BANGKOK, Sulwhasoo, FujiFilm and several partners, is launching a charitable exhibition, KHON+FUTURE.
The exhibition features photographs created by the collaboration of ten Thai Khon artists from the SUPPORT Foundation and three fine art photographers: Kit Bencharongkul, William Barrington-Binns, and Kanrapee Chokpaiboon. It is intended to help establish an unprecedented art scholarship programme in Thailand for young artists and artisans.
The exhibition mainly celebrates Khon masked dance, a classic art form in Thailand that has been enjoyed by generations for centuries, and has received praise internationally since its inscription to UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2018. In addition to raising awareness about this cultural tradition, the exhibition is serving as a charitable fundraiser, namely to assist, with the collaboration of the SUPPORT Foundation, young and underprivileged artists and artisans in continuing their education and launching their early careers. As noted by Dr. Duong Bich Hanh, Chief of the Culture Unit at UNESCO Bangkok, ‘Intangible cultural heritage survives and thrives only where it continues to be practiced and passed on by vibrant communities.’ UNESCO has been assisting in setting up a scholarship programme for a new generation of Thai artists and artisans.
