Only yesterday

One of my Japanese students mentioned that the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre is well worth a visit so, as soon as I had a break, I decided to stop by. When I arrived, I had the feeling that I wasn't going to enjoy the exhibition but it didn't disappoint me because I thought that it would be nice to walk around in a complex, which reminded me of the Guggenheim Museum.

But then I really got into the works of art and realised that their triggers - including the need to define Thai identity - are ultimately interesting. If you think about it, when a country decides to open up this much to the outside world, it's legitimate for the population, in general, and artists, in particular, to start asking questions such as "Who am I?" 

What I found even more fascinating was to look at expressions of Thai individuality, which I still don't know what to make of; I mean, what does individuality stand for? And in a country where social relationships, in general, and family relationships, in particular, are so important, is it really possible for anyone to be and act as... one?

I was thinking about this when I bumped into the Erawan Shrine later in the day (the Erawan Shrine is a place where people go to make wishes). A couple of hours before, I had seen some paintings inspired by Buddhism; and then realised that, as different as they are, all religions have found a way to inspire art all over the world.

But however fascinating Thai painting, sculpture and architecture might be, my favourite form of Asian art is still Japanese animation and I don't see the end of this preference any time soon. The other day, I watched an amazing animated movie entitled "Only yesterday" and am still lost for words whenever I try to describe the quality of the drawings - so detailed and colourful - and the depth of the story, which turned out to be surprisingly touching. Yep, animated movies are not just for children; but if you're lucky, they'll bring out the child in you...