A Living Dialogue on Cultural Continuity at Bangkok Kunsthalle
Currently on display at Bangkok Kunsthalle, "The Preservation of Fire" is an evocative exhibition by artist Busui Ajaw and curated by Mark Chearavanont, Gemmica Sinthawalai, and Stefano Rabolli Pansera. The exhibition focuses on the Akha ethnic heritage, which spans Northern Thailand and neighbouring regions. It explores urgent themes of cultural preservation amid the effects of modernisation, missionary influence, and regional instability. Following Bangkok Kunsthalle’s focus on healing and Thainess, the exhibition goes beyond a simple display. It is a dynamic act of resistance and restoration. Busui Ajaw works closely with local builders and her village community to reconstruct and recreate traditional forms of dwelling, craftsmanship, and ritual. This approach highlights culture as a living practice. The exhibition takes place over two floors of the Kunsthalle. It shows two important and endangered Akha traditions: textile production and vernacular architecture. On the ground floor, visitors see a collection of intricately embroidered, indigo-dyed textiles. These textiles preserve genealogies and symbolic systems and include actual Akha possessions that carry memory and identity. Above, a traditional Akha house was carefully taken apart in Chiang Rai and rebuilt in Bangkok. This house represents social and cosmological knowledge, almost like a temple. Busui Ajaw presents dwelling but as an embodied story where ritual, adaptation to the environment, and collective memory are built into every detail. For example, houses are measured by the builder’s wingspan, and bedrooms are aligned with the solar cycle. The house and textiles together symbolize the deep connection between Akha life, memory, and identity. The exhibition also reflects Akha beliefs about life and death. The house on the upper floor represents life and living space, while the textile installation below evokes a grave, symbolizing memory and cultural inheritance. This creates a powerful space at…