PRESS RELEASE
Jakkai Siributr: There’s no Place
15 November 2024 – 16 March 2025
The Whitworth, UK.
The Whitworth presents, There’s no Place, a significant new exhibition by acclaimed Thai artist Jakkai Siributr – in his first UK exhibition. Building on the Whitworth’s long history of radical global textile exhibitions, this show offers visitors an intimate look at one of Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary artists.
The Whitworth’s Project Space will house a host of works exploring the major themes in Siributr’s practice. Moving between Thailand’s political and social histories and personal stories of grief and remembrance, this space will allow viewers to both view and interact with the artist’s intricate, monumental and dynamic work.
In his large embroidered narrative work 2018, Siributr has stitched the events in Thailand from the titular year. Three large textile hangings Airborne (Klongtoey), BC20 and LD20 represent a series Siributr made in 2022-23 using Thai service worker’s uniforms stitched and embellished, reflecting on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector and the authorities’ handling of the situation.
Siributr purchased these uniforms from individuals who were among those who had suffered the most economically during this time.
Jakkai Siributr, artist said: “My works are about bringing unheard voices to the forefront, or issues that are not often spoken about. So, I am very honoured and excited for the opportunity to exhibit at the Whitworth. I’m very much looking forward to working with the community during my workshops as well.”
Siributr has dedicated much of his practice to the women in his family who have influenced him. Broadlands is a work Siributr made following his mother’s death in 2016. Her clothes are beautifully suspended in the space, in an act of grief, remembrance and healing. Continuing this elegy to the matriarchs of his family, the five quilts that make up Matrilinial are dedicated his mother, three aunts and grandmother. Whilst deeply personal works, these are also woven into Thailand’s modern political history due to the close and tragic connections his family held with the royal court between the reigns of King Rama VII (1926-35) and King Rama IX (1946-2016).
Bringing Thailand’s political complexity and tragedy to the hands of the viewer, Changing Rooms invites participation. By trying on one of a series of camo jackets and Muslim-Malay skullcaps, or songkoks, visitors reveal embroidered scenes from the religious and ethnic conflicts in Thailand’s southern border.
Amy George, Senior Curator said: “We are so delighted to be bringing Siributr’s work to Manchester for his UK premiere. His work resonates with so many of the textiles in our collection which weave wider societal issues with deeply personal ones.”
Siributr will also transform one of the Whitworth’s core collection galleries into the latest iteration of his long-term project There’s no Place. Exploring ideas of home and belonging, this collaborative embroidery piece creates an ongoing dialogue between the artist, the community of Koung Jor Shan Refugee Camp and viewers around the world. Siributr will open the exhibition with an artist talk amongst the hangings of There’s no Place and continue to build the work through two workshops on the opening weekend of the exhibition.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For all PRESS information, images and interview requests please contact:
Emily Gates, Rees & Co: emily.gates@reesandco.com | 020 3137 8776 | 0782 777 9170
Melissa McFarlane, the Whitworth: whitworthpress@manchester.ac.uk | 07795625935
Or
TQPR Thailand
Tom Van Blarcom, tom@tqpr.com
Nuie Titichayapon, nuie@tqpr.com
Image credit
Jakkai Siributr, There’s no Place, 2020-present. Courtesy the Artist © Jakkai Siibutr, Flowers Gallery and 100 Tonson Foundation.
Listings information
15 November 2024 – 16 March 2025
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
Tuesday to Sunday 10am-5pm, Thursday late opening until 9pm
Free entry
Accompanying programme
Artist talk and opening reception
Thursday 14 November, 6pm -8pm
Join us for an in person talk by acclaimed textile artist Jakkai Siributr within There’s no Place installation, followed by a Q&A and drinks reception to celebrate the opening of the exhibition.
Free tickets will be available to book soon, and more information can be found via the Whitworth website: https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/upcomingexhibitions/jakkaisiributr/
There’s no Place workshops
There will be a series of monthly workshops where the artist invites Whitworth visitors to contribute to the ongoing artwork There’s no Place. Starting as a project in a refugee camp on the border of Thailand and Myanmar, where Siributr invited inhabitants to reflect on their experiences through stitch, There’s no Place is now a global project, a conversation across continents through embroidery.
Jakkai Siributr will lead the sessions for the opening weekend and train local artists to deliver these workshops throughout the duration of the exhibition.
Saturday 16 November, 10-12pm and 2-4pm – led by Jakkai Siributr
Saturday 14 December 1-3pm
Saturday 18 January 1-3pm
Saturday 15 February 1-3pm
Saturday 8 March 1-3pm
Please note: spaces are limited for each workshop. Book free tickets via the website for each session.
Credits
Curated by Amy George (Senior Curator, the Whitworth).
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of our main exhibition sponsor Atinuj Tantivit and via the exhibition supporters group including Douglas Ray and Central Group.
With thanks to Flowers Gallery and to our official paint sponsor Little Greene.
Flowers Gallery
Since 1970 Flowers Gallery has represented international contemporary artists and estates, working with a wide range of media. Over the past five decades the gallery has presented more than 900 exhibitions across its global locations, also supporting the production of editions and publications, and installations at art fairs, public galleries, museums and institutions around the world.
The gallery programme includes regular major survey shows and renowned recurring London exhibitions such as Artist of the Day and Small is Beautiful, which have formed significant platforms for emerging artists.
Jakkai Siributr will be exhibited at Flowers Gallery, Cork Street, from 6 January to 8 February 2025.
About Jakkai Siributr
Jakkai Siributr lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand, and is one of Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary artists working primarily in the textile medium. He is known for his intricately handmade tapestries, quilts and installations, which convey powerful responses to contemporary and historical societal issues in Thailand.
In 2021 he launched Phayao-a-Porter, a project that supports artisans and studio assistants whose businesses and livelihoods were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Siributr sourced found and pre-used garments and invited artisans from Phayao province in northern Thailand to contribute to embellishing them with unique figurative appliqué designs in collaboration with his studio. Thirty percent from the sale of each jacket is given back to the community as scholarships, healthcare and emergency funds.
Jakkai Siributr studied Textile and Fine Arts at Indiana University, Bloomington, USA; and Printed Textile Design, at Philadelphia University, USA. He has exhibited widely, with notable exhibitions including Exploring the Cosmos: The Stupa as a Buddhist Symbol, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore (2013); Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, California, USA; Link Tradition and Future, (2012); and the 2nd Chongqing Biennale for Young Artists, The Art Museum of Sichuan Fine Art Institute, Chongqing, China (2011). His works are in the public collections of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art, Taiwan; Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, USA; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, USA; Vehbi Koc Foundation, Istanbul, Turkey; and the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore.
In 2024 Jakkai Siributr’s collaborative embroidery installation There’s No Place is featured in The Spirits of Maritime Crossing, presented by the Bangkok Art Biennale at the Venice Biennale.
The Whitworth
The Whitworth is proudly part of The University of Manchester, operating as a convening space between the University and the people of the city. Founded in 1889 for “the perpetual gratification of the people of Manchester” it continues this mission today in new contexts. The gallery, its park and gardens are home to the collection of over 60,000 works of art, textiles, sculptures and wallpapers and provides a platform for artists from around the world. The Whitworth is driven by a vision to actively seek and manifest connections between art, creativity, and their role in developing a more resilient and caring society through its exhibitions and award-winning civic engagement programme.
Gallery opening times: Tuesday to Sunday 10am-5pm, Thursday late opening until 9pm www.manchester.ac.uk/whitworth