Ex-Hong Kong gallerist buys Thai forest for ‘healing' art project
In 1999, the late French artist Louise Bourgeois unleashed her Maman, one of the most recognised and fearful symbols of motherly love in art .
The metal sculpture of a female spider nine metres (30 feet) tall was a tribute to her own mother – a tapestry restorer who died young and who, in the artist's mind, had an arachnidan knack for patching what was broken.
Today, a bronze version of Maman , on loan from the artist's Easton Foundation, sits above a paddy field just outside Thailand's Khao Yai National Park.
The park, Thailand's oldest protected reserve, is a place many people visit to escape the smog in Bangkok – about three hours away by car – and from reality. A bronze version of Louise Bourgeois' Maman is installed at the Khao Yai Art Forest. Photo: Enid Tsui
Visitors on their way to the park might pass the nearby Toscana Valley – an Italian-themed resort with a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and, even more bizarrely, Wild West ranches filled with Thai cowboys and country music.
But the newly opened Khao Yai Art Forest, where Bourgeois' spider looms, is far less exotic. According to its founder, it is a sanctuary where land will be restored to its natural state and where art and organic food can inspire visitors at a time of destructiveness and divisiveness.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
03-06-2025
- RTHK
'Amazing' Alcaraz cruises into French Open last four
'Amazing' Alcaraz cruises into French Open last four Alcaraz's victory sets up a final four showdown with Lorenzo Musetti. Photo: AFP Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz glided into the semi-finals of Roland Garros, blowing away American 12th seed Tommy Paul for the loss of just five games in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier. The Spaniard needed just one hour 34 minutes to dismantle former world number nine Paul 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 and set up a last-four meeting with Italy's Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti, seeded eighth, earlier beat Paul's compatriot and 15th seed Frances Tiafoe in four sets. It will be the third time Alcaraz and Musetti meet this clay-court season. Alcaraz has dominated that series, beating the Italian in the final in Monte Carlo before also stopping him in the last four on his way to the Rome title. And the 22-year-old's blistering performance under the lights on centre court in Paris will have many backing him to make it three from three against Musetti as he seeks to defend his title. "It was, I could close my eyes and everything went in, my feeling today was amazing. Today was one of those matches where everything went in, I'm just pleased with everything," said Alcaraz. Alcaraz fired 40 winners on his way to victory over Paul for just 22 unforced errors as he emphatically put inconsistent displays in the previous rounds behind him. "This kind of match is never easy," he said. "I've played Tommy many times and he's beat me twice." Despite previous success against Alcaraz, it took the 28-year-old American eight games to get on the scoreboard as his opponent raced out of the blocks, mixing powerful groundstrokes with perfectly-weighted drop-shots and lobs. Paul put up determined resistance in the third set but couldn't deny Alcaraz, who broke in the ninth game before holding to love for victory. "I know you wanted to watch more tennis," an apologetic Alcaraz told the crowd on centre court. "I have to say sorry for that. But I had to do my work." Paul has now lost his last four meetings with Alcaraz, including at the same venue last year in the last eight of the Olympic Games. (AFP)
RTHK
23-05-2025
- RTHK
Lights, camera, action as Walled City show lives on
Lights, camera, action as Walled City show lives on Officials at the launch of the 'Kowloon Walled City: A Cinematic Journey' exhibition. Photo: RTHK Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk says the show at the Kowloon Walled City Park is much bigger than two earlier versions. Photo: RTHK SAR tourism officials and film veterans on Friday hailed the launch of a new exhibition that allows people to take a deep dive into iconic 1980s life at Kowloon Walled City using replica movie sets, saying the attraction will create new economic benefits. The launch of the three-year show – "Kowloon Walled City: A Cinematic Journey" – came after the government on Tuesday unveiled a total of nine tourism hotspots, including the exhibition, to woo tourists for in-depth tours. In an opening ceremony for the exhibition, Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk said the show – which is located at Kowloon Walled City Park, the site of the original slum city – is much bigger than two earlier versions of the exhibition that were held at the airport and Kai Tak. The exhibition features replica movie sets from last year's "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" hit film. "The film scene exhibition not only attracts more visitors to the park but also connects to scenic spots in Kowloon City, such as the Kai Tak Sports Park, urban views and Thai-style cuisine in the district," Cheuk said. "Through various tourist routes within the area, tourists can experience the authentic culture of Hong Kong and taste different delicacies. "At the same time, this can boost consumption in the area and create economic benefits." The exhibition is the third to feature the hit movie and will present more iconic sets from the film, including a barber, tailor and fish-ball shops as well as a bing sutt precursor to today's cha chan teng. Visitors will be able to explore the exhibition using interactive technology to experience the lives of residents living in the walled city back in the 1980s. Officials will also roll out designs using augmented technology in the district from the third quarter of this year. Hong Kong Film Development Council chairman Wilfred Wong said the show will allow visitors to learn more about Hong Kong's history. He added that large projection screens installed on rooftops will give people a sense of what days and nights are like living in Kowloon Walled City, with special sound effects, such as of planes reverberating over the district.
RTHK
13-05-2025
- RTHK
Depardieu sentence suspended for sex assaults
Depardieu sentence suspended for sex assaults Gerard Depardieu is said to have trapped set decorator Amelie K between his legs and groped her all over: File photo: AFP A court in Paris on Tuesday found French actor Gerard Depardieu guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021 and handed him an 18-month suspended prison sentence. His lawyer said Depardieu would be appealing the court decision. In one of the highest-profile #MeToo cases to come before judges in France, Depardieu, a towering figure of French cinema, had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. But judge Thierry Donard said Depardieu's explanation of events had been unconvincing. One of the two plaintiffs, Amelie K, a set decorator, had told the court the actor had groped her all over her body as he trapped her between his legs and made explicit sexual comments. "He touched everything, including my breasts," she told the court. "I was terrified, he was laughing." The presiding judge said two witnesses corroborated her account whilst Depardieu had been contradictory in his own accounts. The #MeToo protest movement over sexual violence has struggled to gain the same traction in France as in the United States, though there are signs that social attitudes towards sexual assault may be changing. (Reuters)
