Essential Desires: Contemporary Art in Thailandis the first major, fully illustrated survey of Thai art in thirty years. Brian Curtin shows how Thai artists negotiated their emergence on the global art stage while dealing with pan-Asian regionalism and nationalism at home. This book traces the influences on contemporary Thai artists, from the impact of consumerism in Bangkok in the 1990s to the waning legacies of tradition, and their relationship to the nation’s often-volatile political stage. Curtin, in his exploration of Thailand’s fascinating art scene, shows how Thai artists are generating new ideas about their country.
Brian Curtinis an art critic based in Bangkok. He lectures in art history and visual culture in the Department of Communication Design at Chulalongkorn University.
"An important scholarly contribution. . . . I highly recommend this book as it offers a comprehensive historical narrative of post-1990s Thai art in a global context and selectively illustrates the variety of Thailand's artistic practices while advancing the notion of artists' creative resilience amidst an unsettled local atmosphere."
“A fine overview of contemporary Thai art in its historical context by a knowledgeable and sensitive critic who has lived and worked in Thailand for two decades.”
“Essential Desiresserves as a valuable handbook to contemporary Thai art, providing an effective survey of recent developments, carefully and clearly placed in the context of Thailand’s complicated cultural-political milieu.”
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