LOCAL MYTHS #2: Shifting Terrains
Main Exhibition Gallery, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
June - September 2026
“LOCAL MYTHS #2: Shifting Terrains”, it invites viewers to reflect on the landscapes they inhabit, to consider the shifting conditions in which they stand, and to ask how they might move within a world that is in constant transformation.
The exhibition brings together nine bodies of work that function as tools for reading contemporary landscapes through narratives embedded in land, water, the human body and collective memory. When considered together, these works do not merely document change, but also question the conditions that give rise to it. Who holds the power to shape the direction of these landscapes, and who bears the consequences that follow? Shifting Terrains does not refer solely to geographical space. It speaks to conditions of uncertainty, where the boundaries between nature and humanity, the local and the global, the past and the future are continually shifting and being rewritten. Ultimately, this exhibition does not offer definitive answers.
Curated and Organised by Exhibition Department, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Advisory Curator: Penwadee Nophaket Manont
Artists: Chalit Saphaphak, Preecha Raksorn and Vacharanont Sinvaravatn, Natpakhan Khemkhao, ThaDa LAB, Tananan Jaisawang, Baan Noorg Collaborative Arts and Culture, Farmjodjum Art Space, Sudaporn Teja, SIDETHINK : SOCIETY, and ubatsat X Sridonchai Weavers
The 3-video works are part of the solo exhibitions LANNA ANNAL, LANNA ANNAL ANNEX, and Susurrus by Sudaporn Teja. The collection explores Northern Thai local beliefs pertaining to hair—from the act of growing it long and cutting it, to hair extensions and braiding. These practices are intricately woven with faith and supernatural forces that continue to influence contemporary ways of life.
The artist draws inspiration from her lineage, beginning with her great-great-grandfather, Oon Teja (1869-1943), a renowned traditional Sor (folk song) singer who was granted the noble title “Luang Maneewan” during the reign of King Inthawichayanon, the last sovereign ruler of the Lanna Kingdom. Her lineage of influence continues through her grandfather, Oon-ruean Teja (1928–2006), a Mor Mueang (traditional healer) who treated the physical and spiritual ailments of rural Lanna villagers through medicinal knowledge and sacred rituals; and her grandmother, Khampin Teja, who remains a living pillar of the family. This narrative arc extends to the present through her chance meeting with Paljira Chomchun, a Northern Thai hairstylist who migrated in search of opportunity and settled in the capital city today.
LANNA ANNAL, 2022
Video Performance
2.42 minutes
The artist discovered a vinyl record featuring the vocals of her great-great-grandfather, Oon Teja (1869-1943), a renowned traditional Sor (folk song) singer during the reign of King Inthawichayanon. This era marked a pivotal transition as Lanna was annexed into the Siamese state, shifting from a traditional tributary relationship toward a centralised modern state. During this period, Lanna women commonly grew their hair long from childhood and refrained from cutting it, believing that the Khwan (guardian spirit) resided at the crown of the head and should remain undisturbed to ensure prosperity—a contrast to the short hairstyles favored by Siamese women.
In the video work LANNA ANNAL, Sudaporn cuts off her own hair while her body is unclothed, signifying equivocal symbolism of either protesting or surrendering, all the while, unknowingly assimilating into the paramount influence. The performance is accompanied by the folk song 'Hong Hin,' sung by her great-great-grandfather, whose voice traverses time to converge with the present moment.
LANNA ANNAL ANNEX, 2023
Video Documentation
14.36 minutes
The artist explores the narratives and connections between the Lanna Kingdom and its descendants who inhabit the contemporary world. Sudaporn encountered Paljira Chomchun (Lek), a Northern Thai hairstylist who migrated to the capital to seek opportunity and establish her life.
In the video work LANNA ANNAL ANNEX, the processes of haircare—from washing and blow-drying to straightening and adding hair extensions performed for the artist—are presented in contrast to the act of hair cutting in her previous exhibition. Interwoven with these gestures is Lek's life story, from her origins in Chiang Rai and her aspiration to become a hairdresser, to her struggles to support her family, and eventually establishing her own beauty salon and home in Bangkok. The work also delves into her enduring beliefs, where former Lanna kings, land spirits, and ancestral spirits are seen as guardians still protecting her and her family to this day.
Susurrus, 2026
Video Performance
7.36 minutes
The artist evokes the memory of her grandfather’s voice, Oon-ruean Teja (1928-2006), a Mor Mueang (traditional healer) who treated both physical and spiritual ailments rooted in human faith, including the performance of healing rituals. The chants she once heard during his rituals call her back to investigate their meanings through his written records and artifacts, including Lanna-inscribed candle yantra used in life-extension ceremonies. Sudaporn also turns to her grandmother, Khampin Teja (b. 1939-Present), who recounts the songs she heard in childhood, evoking the faded memories of Northern Thai lullabies.
In the video work Susurrus, the soundscape features a life-extension chant for her grandmother performed by a contemporary Pu Jaan (ritual specialist), followed by the lullaby “Lup Song Ta” (Close Both Eyes) sung by her grandmother while braiding the artist’s hair, as in the past. These relationships remain interwoven, passed down through generations even as certain remembered voices gradually fade with the passage of time.
Sonorous, 2026
A Lanna Sattaloha (sacred seven-metal alloy) bell, adorned with a hand-braided black Lanna ritual thread
2.5 in (bell diameter) and 153 cm (thread length)
The Lanna bell serves as a resonant embodiment of the artist’s memory of her grandfather’s voice, who was once ordained as a Buddhist monk before returning to lay life to pursue his livelihood, including his role as a Mor Mueang (traditional healer). Historically, Lanna maintained its own indigenous educational system, where temples and monks served as the primary sources of both worldly and Dhamma knowledge.
In the work Sonorous, the artist weaves black Lanna Sai Sin (sacred thread) into a braid, its length matching the height of her grandmother—a gesture echoing the preparation of ritual objects for life-extension ceremonies. This braided thread is then meticulously tied and interlaced with the Lanna bell.
LOCAL MYTHS #2: ดินแดนในรอยต่อ
โดย Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
LANNA ANNAL, LANNA ANNAL ANNEX, and Susurrus by
Sudaporn Teja featured in LOCAL MYTHS #2: Shifting Terrains
LOCAL MYTHS #2: Shifting Terrains ดินแดนในรอยต่อ
โดย Fine Art Magazine Thailand