Three Thais vie for the prize

Manit Sriwanichphoom, Nipan Oranniwesna and Pratchaya Phinthong have been nominated for the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation's 2011 Signature Art Prize and will put their art in competition against 130 others from 24 countries.

At stake is a grand prize worth 45,000 Singaporean dollars (Bt1.1 million).

The foundation is sponsoring the Singapore Art Museum contest, which covers all media, including performance art.

The three Thai artists were nominated by Ark Fongsmut, curator at BUG, Bangkok University's gallery. Ark has featured the trio in shows he's mounted around the Asia-Pacific rim.

Manit, 50, is a prominent art activist whose photography focuses on socio-political issues. He created the Pink Man character in a shocking-pink suit amid the Asian economic crisis and took him to the Venice Biennale in 2005.

In 2009 his series "Pink Man Opera" examined the political conflict in Thailand, utilising Siamese proverbs to send strong messages. Most recently, "Pink Man Opera No 1: To Perceive the Devil's Discus as the Lotus" was on view at the Singapore Art Museum and in April at g23.

Nipan, 49, has a lower profile in Thailand, but the Bangkok University lecturer has been exhibiting overseas since the early 1990s. He was at the Venice Biennale in 2007.

Nipan's interactive installation "Sniper" was a highlight of the "This is Not a Fairytale" group show that opened at g23 in February.

It too reflected on the political conflict, focusing on the violence in Bangkok with magnifying glasses that framed a sniper's field of vision. One of the views had visitors looking at their own backs, thanks to a hidden camera mounted behind them. "There's a difference between normal vision and supervision," Nipan says.

Prachaya, 37, exhibits overseas and participates in many international art festivals, including Berlin last year. He co-founded the Ver gallery with Rirkrit Tiravanija.

In paintings, prints, sculpture and installations, Prachaya examines everyday life, drawing inspiration from his own experiences and his travels.

In the installation "Demonstrations", presented in Hong Kong in 2009, the room was empty except for an attendant who had a Bt1,000 banknote in his wallet. Visitors came in expecting to find art and eventually had to ask the attendant where it was. They were then shown the fake money.

"The performance in this piece is done by the visitor," Prachaya said. "Fake banknotes are illegal, of course, but somehow when you see one, it suggests something to you. You don't get the impact until you see it. Something happens to you, despite the action or the meaning of the action."

In the Singapore competition the Thais are up against Australian Daniel Crooks, Cambodia's Pich Sopheap, China's Qiu Anxiong, Indonesian Eko Nugroho, Japan's Makoto Aida, Malaysian Fauzan bin Omar, Burma's Htein Lin, Stephanie Wamytan of New Caledonia, Imran Qureshi of Pakistan, Filipino Louie Cordero, Singaporean Jane Lee, South Korean Sook-Jin Jo and Taiwan's Chen Chieh-jen.

Five judges will pick 15 finalist artworks - Fumio Nanjo of the Mori Art Museum, Gregor Muir of the Institute of Contemporary Art London, Tan Boon Hui of the Singapore Art Museum, art critic Hendro Wijanto and Ranjit Hoskote, curator of the India Pavilion at this year's Venice Biennale.

CAST A VOTE

The 15 finalists in the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize Awards will be named on October 1, followed by online voting at SingaporeArtMuseum.sg for the People's Choice Award and an exhibition on November 11.

The Grand Prize, Jurors' Prize and People's Choice Award will be presented at a banquet on November 18.