Bangkok: 1999- 2542. Examining the Legacy of the Sixth Edition of “Cities on the Move”

Abstract

“Cities on the Move” was an itinerant art exhibition curated by Hans-Ulrigh Obrist and Hou Hanru that versed about modern urbanity in Asia. The sixth edition took place in 1999 in Bangkok, a city that was still recovering from a severe financial crisis. At that time, the Thai capital lacked exhibition venues fit for international shows.However, such inconvenience turned into an opportunity to display the artworks right at the urban realm for which they had been created. The event took place in a non-Western setting at the cusp of its particular stance of Postmodernity, at a time when globalization was in its nascent stages and the rise of China was a mere promise. The curatorial manifest, as well as the setup of the itinerant show, was markedly influenced by architect Rem Koolhaas and his vision about the upcoming development of Asia. To date, the Bangkok event has not received the same attention as other editions that enjoyed better support and attention by worldwide critics. Almost twenty-five years later, we examine through the lens of architecture the conditions that accompanied the Sixth Edition of “Cities on the Move”, assessing the significance of its legacy as a pivot moment in contemporary art and urban studies in Asia.