Phenomena & Prophecies

Phenomena & Prophecies, a retrospective of Manit Sriwanichpoom's photographs, opened at G23 in Bangkok on 23rd April. The exhibition will close on 18th July.

Most of the images feature Manit's trademark 'Pink Man', the conspicuous consumer portrayed by Sompong Tawee, including the truly shocking Horror In Pink series (shown previously in From Message To Media). (At the opening reception, Sompong posed for photographs with visitors.) There are also portraits of soldiers posing for snapshots after the 2006 coup, ironic commentaries on politics-as-spectacle that echo Manit's recent contributions to Rupture. Manit's photographs are also similar to those found in Tranquil Coup d'Etat Thai Style (รถถัง ดอกไม้ รอยยิ้มและน้ำตา), a collection of images by photojournalists published in 2006 that portrays the coup as a benign or even welcome event.

Manit is one of Thailand's most celebrated contemporary photographers. Flashback '76 was arguably his most powerful solo exhibition; his work has been included in numerous group exhibitions, most recently Dialogues.