In Southeast Asian societies, technology, historically developed as a series of human inventions aimed at simplifying life, has become intertwined with local cultural traditions. These relationships are not always easy and this chapter considers how queer art forms within and beyond the region navigate these tensions. By reinventing what we call as ‘tropical technologies’, queer Southeast Asia simultaneously inhabits and defies established heteronormative and cisnormative standards.
Thai artist Eda Phanlert Sriprom (Berlin) exemplifies this intersection of tradition and innovation, as she mastered the techniques of dyeing and sewing Buddhist fabrics, tasks traditionally reserved exclusively for cismale monks. Her work simultaneously challenges established norms by being an interactive loving phallic talisman (in Thai, Palad-Kik). By doing so, Eda’s work reflects the complex negotiations of identity for queer Thais, as they weave between tradition and modernity, spirituality and sexuality. DJ/artist shasti (Bochum) creates a soundscape installation that envelops and maps the exhibition room using a mandala system. This installation features four corners, each representing a curated playlist of music associated with queer culture in Southeast Asia. Drawing on their experience in creating safe spaces within club culture, Shasti aims to evoke memories and offer new perspectives to the audience. This immersive soundscape encourages deeper engagement with the exhibition as a whole.
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Playboy
Eda Phanlert Sriprom (เอดด้า พันเลิศ ศรีพรหม)
2024
Sculpture: upcycled Buddhist monk robe fabrics and PET fillings inside
Courtesy of the artist
I dream of sounds and found us entangled
shasti
2024
Soundscape Installation: curated music playlists in four corners of the exhibition
Courtesy of the artist and corresponding musicians