Tang Chang — A reluctant ‘outsider’ of Thai modern art

Abstract

International interest in Tang Chang (1934–1990), a relatively obscure Thai artist, has grown since the 2014 Shanghai Biennale. The developing praxis of recent scholarship positions him as an outsider in his own country who had more in common with his international contemporaries, a premise which corroborates his relevance to the contemporary project of recognising hitherto undiscovered transnational connections. Such a narrative, however, is built on his abstract paintings and poem-drawings only, and leaves no room to discuss how Tang’s best-known painting, a self-portrait entitled October 14 (1973), fits in with the rest of his practice. This article argues that the selective interest is indicative of a teleological approach with an end goal of placing Tang's works within a global canon of recognised art movements. The fact that prevailing appraisals of Tang’s legacy would omit a large body of self-portraits shows how such an approach risks reinforcing mainstream art historical narratives rather than dislodging a Eurocentric hegemony. A fuller and nuanced view of Tang’s relationship with contemporaneous developments would reveal significant gaps in our knowledge about Tang and suggest alternative narratives about Thai modern art.