Art patron Patrick Sun is building a brighter future for the LGBTQ community in Asia by hosting ambitious, thought-provoking exhibitions in major museums. This month he unveils his biggest show yet
When Patrick Sun opened the first major exhibition in Asia dedicated to LGBTQ art in Taipei in 2017, he wasn’t sure how people would react. Would conservative journalists tear Spectrosynthesis to shreds? Would the art community resent being dragged into discussions about LGBTQ rights? Would the public even come?
“It was nerve-wracking,” says Patrick, founder of the Sunpride Foundation, an LGBTQ art organisation. “But one of my most vivid memories of the show was of this young mother who brought her son there. Her son was maybe five or six years old. They were walking through the exhibition and they came across this huge charcoal drawing by Jimmy Ong. The subject was gay parenthood; the drawing shows two naked women holding a baby. The son asked his mother, ‘What is this about?’ It was a very innocent question, and the mother calmly knelt down and explained to her son that in this world there are men loving men, men loving women, and women loving women. That to me encapsulates what we are trying to do in one single scene.”
It’s a scene Patrick is determined to recreate in other countries around the region. Following the success of that exhibition at Taipei’s Museum of Contemporary Art, this month the Sunpride Foundation is opening the second iteration of the show at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. While the Taipei edition primarily featured artists from East Asia, this exhibition is focused on Southeast Asia. “This show is not just geared towards the local Thai people,” says Patrick. “We also hope people from neighbouring countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and more will come and see the exhibition.”
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Diverse Voices
This ambition is reflected in the incredible diversity of the artists taking part. There are more than 50 of them, including big names such as Danh Vo from Vietnam, Maria Taniguchi from the Philippines, Ming Wong from Singapore, Samson Young from Hong Kong, Hou Chun-ming from Taiwan and the late Ren Hang from Mainland China.
More than 20 Thai artists are featured, and Patrick has commissioned new works from local stars Arin Rungjang and Jakkai Siributr.
“Arin has represented Thailand at the Venice Biennale and has participated in Documenta. He’s participated in many big international shows,” says Patrick. “He’s doing a commissioned five-channel video work for us about his childhood. It’s a very personal story about his fascination with transgender people. He’s insisting on using a 35mm projector for the work because he wants [the video] to feel like it was made during his childhood. He even wants the noise of the projector in the room because he associates the sound with his childhood.”
Siributr is also using this opportunity to create an incredibly personal new work. “Jakkai is well known for his textile works, his weaving, and he’s giving us three huge quilts,” reveals Patrick.
“They are more or less his personal coming out story. These are very intimate stories. I feel so honoured that these artists would share something so intimate with us but also with the public. I believe they share our thoughts in furthering gay rights, which is why they’re sharing something very personal. Hopefully it could bring about more resonance in society.”
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