"Behind the Painting" as you've never seen it
TIME TO GET out of the cinema and into the art gallery, as the interesting and talented video artist and filmmaker Chulayarnnon Siriphol offers his interpretation of the classic Thai story “Behind the Painting”.
Set in Japan, the tragic romance involves a young Thai fellow who has been employed by an elderly Japanese man to look after his young blue-blooded Thai wife. Written in 1937 by popular author Sri Burapha, the novel has been adapted for film, television and stage many times, including a 2001 film version that was the last feature by the revered Thai auteur Cherd Songsri.
In an homage to Cherd, his film is woven into the fabric of Chulayarnnon’s entertaining and multilayered experimental work, which has him portraying both the young man and, in the grand tradition of theatrical cross-dressing, the young woman.
“Behind the Painting” was created last year during Chulayarnnon’s participation in the artist-in-residence programme at the Aomori Contemporary Art Centre in Japan.
Organised by the Japan Foundation and curated by Aomori’s Hiroyuki Hattori, “Behind the Painting” is at the Silpakorn University Art Centre, with an opening tonight (invitation only). It runs until October 10 at the university’s Wang Thapra campus. For details, check www.art-centre.su.ac.th.
Also showing
Following his success earlier this year with the local release of the Brazilian gay teen drama “The Way He Looks”, public-relations professional Ken Thapanan Wichitrattakarn has gone into showbiz, starting his own boutique film-distribution label Doo Nang Took Wan. The first title is “Gerontophilia”, which hits the screen this week at the Lido in Siam Square. Directed by the taboo-challenging cult filmmaker Bruce LaBruce, the romantic comedy is about the sexual awakening of an 18-year-old guy, who discovers he has fetish for old men. Keep track of further happenings by Doo Nang Took Wan at www.facebook.com/|doonangtookwan.
Win Bollywood tickets
The Bollywood romantic comedy “Katti Batti” comes to Major Cineplex next Friday, and CinemaScene has three pairs of tickets to give away, courtesy of MVP Entertainment.
Starring Imran Khan and Kangana Ranaut, the story is about an architect who falls hopelessly in love with an offbeat young woman. Nikhil Advani (“Chandni Chowk to China”) directs, with the soundtrack by the prolific hitmaking trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
The tickets will go to the first three readers to e-mail |[email protected]. Please use the subject line “Katti Batti tickets”, and don’t forget to provide your name and phone number.
