2001 Bangkok meets Cologne

An exchange project between Silpakorn Academy Bangkok and KunstWerk Cologne e.V.
curated by Ulrich Eichhorn

Arts and Communication – to encourage and promote them,
in the interplay between inspiration and commerce – a logical task to me as an intermediary between the artist and society. So I curated an exchange between artists of the Cologne art professors and Silpakorn University in Bangkok, Thailand.
Besides organizing and fund-raising the direct communication, the interpersonal and community between the artists themselves, the cooperation during the building of the works of Thai artists in Cologne, and then of Cologne artist in Thailand, were the very important aspects.
By experiencing the reaching out to each other and coping with one another, a direct exchange came about, on both sides the strangeness and the uncertainty degraded, especially among people of different cultures to inspire each other artistically: an important step for the Thai people to get closer to the Western cultural tradition and the culture of life in the West and closer to achieve contacts, affirm them and make new ones. Likewise, for the Cologne, to dive into the sensual world of Asia and experience what it means to be artistically active within Thai traditions.

For the Kunstschalter eV with this exchange project a beginning was set for inclining actively beyond the boxed and established traditional art and gallery scene, as a pilot project to push further intercultural projects.
Exchanges with Liverpool, Tunis, Ghana and Poona were planned and partially followed. Besides expanding the view of artists and all other involved in the project, we offered an attractive and authentically grown program to the interested public - considering the actual growing together and integration of Europe, which is also visible in the KunstWerk by many different nationalities.
So the artists I had chosen for this project, Caroline Cochius and Martina Puetz were from Germany, Vadim Zakharov from Russia, Ewa Latoszek from Poland and Etienne Szabo from France.

From Thailand taking part in the project were : Vichai Sithiratn, Vichoke Mukdamanee, Saravudth Duangjumpa, Amrit Chusuwan, Kunavichayanont and Tawatchai Puntusawasdi.

2002 Cologne meets Bangkok

After in 2001 the Thai guest artists had resided in the more neglected crude Cologne industrial area, and were also staggered and bewildered by the difficult everyday life of artists and curators, the Cologne - in accordance with noble Silpakorn Academy - got received and celebrated comparatively classy in the heart of the Thai metropolis of Bangkok. They were served a spectacular exhibition space, accompanied by two catalogues printed in Bangkok.001 Bangkok meets Cologne.