開幕｜12.05.2020（六）4:30 p.m.
出生於六〇年代的彌載映（Mit Jai Inn），成長於冷戰時期的泰國，除了自身對文化政治的參與，其創作題材亦圍繞著歷史、政治與公共議題，以抽象藝術為核心，並在作品形式和展呈上挑戰著傳統認知，是泰國當代藝術的先驅。彌載映於2020年的創作，緊扣著泰國近期的政治抗爭活動，隨著進行中的學運白熱化，他不僅將自身投入抗爭活動之中，也在作品和展覽中直白的注入明確的政治宣言。
泰國憲法規定皇室應凌駕於政治之上保持中立，2016年即位泰皇「拉瑪十世」（Rama X）瑪哈．瓦吉拉隆功（Maha Vajiralongkorn），在2014年政變上台的總理巴育（Prayuth Chan-ocha）任內，數次透過修憲鞏固皇室與軍方權力，甚至頒布賦予泰皇直接掌控皇室數百億資產的新法，更遑論屢屢在國際媒體曝光的奢糜、荒謬生活。彌載映以黑色幽默的語調將今年底在TKG+的個展命名為「The King and I」，除了讓人直接聯想到全面被泰國禁止的美國著名戲劇 ，也展現了他正面對皇室改革提出訴求的政治態度。
本次個展「The King and I」主要的金屬色調，靈感來自於各國古代皇室貴族的木乃伊製術，彌載映將金、銀色覆蓋於雕塑與平面作品上，像是保存人體一般包覆著作品。他在今年創作了為數甚多的雕塑作品，微觀上來說，他的身體透過歷史性、概念性的解剖，轉化為雕塑，一層顏料、一層畫布的覆蓋就像是他皮膚。在「神經元」（Neuron）雕塑系列作品中，作為型態主體的鐵是保有彈性的，每個雕塑像是一個活體，被懸掛時是有生命的，放置於地上是死透的。創作對彌載映來說是一種身體所有感知的昇華，受內在情感驅使的衝動，每一個步驟都是必須去完成的，就像「迷幻」（Psychedelic）系列作品中刮除的線條、堆疊的顏料色塊，那些細節無法被具體言說，而是回歸到精神的整體；該系列中非常明亮、充滿人造感、非自然的色調，所營造出如夢境、天堂一般的氛圍，象徵七〇年代「嬉皮」、九〇年代「新時代」的，是對現實社會、資本主義世界的逃脫出口，彷彿置身不可能存在的烏托邦，就像印象派對古典主義在視覺上的反動。彌載映始終在探索繪畫與雕塑的界線，混攪複合媒材的繪畫近似雕塑、畫布與顏料層層交疊纏繞的雕塑如同繪畫，金屬的質感與迷幻的色彩，是他對泰國皇室的「致敬」，而他對於泰國未來深層的憂慮，便如此融合於作品之中。

The King and I — Mit Jai Inn Solo Exhibition
Exhibition Dates｜12.05.2020–01.30.2021
Reception｜12.05.2020 (Sat.) 4:30 p.m.
One of the forerunners on the Thai contemporary art scene, Mit Jai Inn was born in 1960, and grew up in Thailand during the Cold War period. In addition to his own participation in cultural politics, the artist has shaped his practice around history, politics, and public issues. With abstract art lying at its core, the form and presentation of his work defies convention. His latest body of work made in 2020 echoes recent political protests in Thailand. As the ongoing student movement intensifies, Mit not only participates in the protests himself, but also instills a clear political statement in his work and exhibition.
"The King and I," the title of Mit’s latest solo exhibition at TKG+, reverberates with a dark sense of humor that evokes the famous American drama with the same title, an adaptation of Margaret Landon’s 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam, which was first adapted into a musical, later as an eponymous film. Both the book and the film have been banned in Thailand for years. The exhibition title instantiates the artist’s earnest call for royal reform. Thailand’s constitution stipulates that the Thai royal family should stay above politics and remain politically neutral. King Rama X, or Maha Vajiralongkorn, who ascended to the throne in 2016, consolidated the power of the royal family and the military through constitutional amendments several times, during the term of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who rose to power after the 2014 coup. King Rama X even promulgated a new law that gives the King direct control of tens of billions of assets of the royal family, not to mention the absurdly extravagant lifestyle that has frequently captured the attention of international media.
For Mit’s solo exhibition The King and I, the metallic tone is inspired by mummification in ancient royal families of different countries. The artist overlays his sculptures and paintings with gold and silver metallic paint, as if embalming each work like a human body. He made a substantial amount of sculptures in 2020. On an elemental level, the artist’s body transforms through historical and conceptual analysis into a sculpture, upon which a coat of paint over a piece of canvas mimics the skin. In the "Neuron" series, metal as the primary medium of the sculptural works remains malleable, allowing each work to stand on its own as a living organism, coming alive when suspended, depleted and drained when left on the ground. Art making, for Mit, is a sublimation of bodily perception, propelled by emotions, a process where each step must be completed. Just as in the "Psychedelic" series, the scraped lines, the textured paint, indescribable details coalescing into a spirituality. The series is characterized by especially bright, artificial, and unnatural tones that invoke a dreamy, heavenly atmosphere, as well as the hippie culture of the 1970s and New Age of the 1990s. Much like the impressionist’s visual reaction to classicism, this series transports the viewer to an impossible utopia on an escapade from reality and capitalism. Constantly walking the line between painting and sculpture, Mit creates sculpturesque paintings with mixed media, and painterly sculptures interwoven with paint-splattered canvas. The metallic and psychedelic tones encapsulate the artist’s caustic tribute to the Thai royal family, while his profound concerns for Thailand’s future mingle with his work.
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彌載映
1983 年至 1986 年間就讀於泰國藝術大學， 1988 年至 1992 年間就讀於維也納應用藝術大學。重要展歷包括：「The King and I」（TKG+，台北，台灣，2020）；「太陽雨： 1980 年代至今的東南亞當代藝術」（高雄市立美術館，高雄，台灣，2019）；「光．黯．他者 — 彌載映個展」（TKG+，台北，台灣，2018）；「雪梨第 21 屆雙年展」（鸚鵡島，澳洲，2018）；「太陽雨： 1980 年代至今的東南亞當代藝術」（森美術館，東京，日本，2018）；「廣看媒材」（新加坡美術館，新加坡，2014）；「所有我們的關係 — 第 18 屆雪梨雙年展」（雪梨，澳洲，2012）；「熱帶之夜 — 失樂園」（東京宮，巴黎，法國，2007）；「Dong-Na」（新加坡雙年展，新加坡，2007）；「Soi 計畫」（橫濱三年展，橫濱，日本，2005）；「清邁社會裝置藝術」（清邁，泰國，1992–1996）。
About Mit Jai Inn
Mit Jai Inn studied art at the Silpakorn University from 1983 to 1986, and at the University of Applied Arts Vienna from 1988 to 1992. He has exhibited internationally, including The King and I, TKG+, Taipei, Taiwan (2020); Sunshower: Contemporary Art From Southeast Asia 1980s to Now, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (2019); Light, Dark, Other, TKG+, Taipei, Taiwan (2018); 21st Biennale of Sydney, Cockatoo Island, Australia (2018); Sunshower: Contemporary Art From Southeast Asia 1980s to Now, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan (2018); Medium at Large, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore (2014); All Our Relations, 18th Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (2012); Tropical Nights — Lost in Paradise, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France (2007); Dong-Na, Singapore Biennale, Singapore (2007); Soi Project, Yokohama Triennale, Yokohama, Japan (2005); Chiang Mai Social Installation, Chiang Mai, Thailand (1992–1996).