Jim Thompson Art Center

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Fragmented Reality: Selected works from DC Collection cover
Fragmented Reality: Selected works from DC Collection cover title

Exhibitions / Gallery 1 & 2, 3rd Floor

EN TH

Fragmented Reality: Selected Works from DC Collection

Curated by The Jim Thompson Art Center Team

The Jim Thompson Art Center is pleased to present “Fragmented Reality”, an exhibition of contemporary art from the DC Collection, founded by Dr. Disaphol Chansiri, a renowned collector of contemporary art from both Thailand and beyond. He is a member of the board of trustees at the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C.


Amidst the digital disruption and the rise of Artificial Intelligence, our perception of reality can be fragmented, giving rise to alternative perspectives. Fragmented Reality focuses on different aspects of reality, which exist in separate parts or as separate views.  How can we perceive reality in the era of digital disruption? Art offers a great example of how to ponder and understand today's complex realities. This was the departure point for the Jim Thompson Art Center team to curate this exhibition of selected outstanding artworks from the DC Collection. The show encompasses a wide range of works that embody the complexity of social history, cultural ecology and environmental issues of our times. 

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    Truong Cong Tung, Study of The Disoriented Garden… A Breath of Dream, 2023-ongoing, Drawing on tracing paper. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

  • Truong Cong Tung, The Disoriented Garden… A Breath of Dream, 2023-ongoing, Video installation: Single channel video, sound, color, 69”. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

    Truong Cong Tung, The Disoriented Garden… A Breath of Dream, 2023-ongoing, Video installation: Single channel video, sound, color, 69”. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

  • Truong Cong Tung, The Disoriented Garden… A Breath of Dream (detail), 2023-ongoing, Video installation: Single channel video, sound, color, 69”. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

    Truong Cong Tung, The Disoriented Garden… A Breath of Dream (detail), 2023-ongoing, Video installation: Single channel video, sound, color, 69”. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

  • Truong Cong Tung, The Lost Landscape, 2023-ongoing, Lacquer on wood, dust, metal frame. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

    Truong Cong Tung, The Lost Landscape, 2023-ongoing, Lacquer on wood, dust, metal frame. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

  • Truong Cong Tung, Dance of the Insects, 2020-ongoing, Single channel video, sound, color, 15”19’. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

    Truong Cong Tung, Dance of the Insects, 2020-ongoing, Single channel video, sound, color, 15”19’. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

  • Truong Cong Tung, In the wind up the sky in the garden… Shadows out there #3, 2023-ongoing, Lacquer on wood, dust, metal frame. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

    Truong Cong Tung, In the wind up the sky in the garden… Shadows out there #3, 2023-ongoing, Lacquer on wood, dust, metal frame. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

  • Truong Cong Tung, The State of absence… Voice from outside, 2020-ongoing, Installation: Gourds, water, soil, seeds, machinery, time, and temperature, Dimension variable. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

    Truong Cong Tung, The State of absence… Voice from outside, 2020-ongoing, Installation: Gourds, water, soil, seeds, machinery, time, and temperature, Dimension variable. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

  • Installation views of Gallery 2. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

    Installation views of Gallery 2. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

  • Truong Cong Tung, Portrait of Absence, Part of the project “The Sap Still Runs”, 2019-ongoing, Engraved on mirrors. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

    Truong Cong Tung, Portrait of Absence, Part of the project “The Sap Still Runs”, 2019-ongoing, Engraved on mirrors. Photo: Marisa Srijunpleang. Courtesy of Jim Thompson Art Center.

The exhibition showcases local and international artists, ranging from drawings, paintings, sculptures, photography, and installations. Their works embody fragmented human experiences in relationship to nature and technology. The exhibition also addresses and comments on the impact of transformative historical, social, political, economic, and cultural phenomena over the centuries. The selected works invoke the spirit of the past and indigenous wisdom transmission, while at the same time considering ecological issues. 

Participating artists: Olafur Eliasson (Denmark), Theaster Gates (USA), Andreas Gursky (Germany), Osang Gwon (South Korea), Damien Hirst (UK), Zai Kuning (Singapore), Yayoi Kusama (Japan), Jompet Kuswidananto (Indonesia), Kohei Nawa (Japan), Nalini Malani (India), Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook (Thailand), Thomas Struth (Germany), Kara Walker (USA) and Zhang Xiaogang (China).

DC Collection

contemporary works by both Thai and international artists. Founded by Dr. Disaphol Chansiri, a distinguished global collector, the collection has been developed since the 1990s. Some pieces from the collection are on display in his private residences in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. To showcase his ever-evolving art collection, Dr. Disaphol has created an exhibition space in the same area as his residence and in the QUU Hotel to house his constantly rotating art collection. In addition, artworks from the DC Collection are exhibited at international art events worldwide, including venues such as the Louis Vuitton Foundation, Singapore Art Museum, the National Gallery Singapore, etc. Dr. Disaphol resides in Bangkok, Thailand, and he is the dean of the School of Digital Arts and Design, University of Thai Chamber of Commerce.

Disaphol Chansiri

Disaphol Chansiri earned a Ph.D. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He worked for the Commerce Ministry of the Royal Thai Government for four years before he starting his own property development company. Building an extensive private collection for over 25 years, He currently serves as a board member for several art-related organizations. and he is the dean of the School of Digital Arts and Design, University of Thai Chamber of Commerce. He is also a board member of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C.

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