The Rater exhibit on the second floor showcases a remarkable piece of artwork that tackles both local and global issues related to history and its impact. Thai artist Suttee Conventionalist's "History Class Part 2" is a modified version of his original outdoor installation and features twenty-three vintage school desks arranged neatly in rows to recreate a classroom atmosphere. Each wooden desktop bears faint carvings of significant events and personalities from Thai history, which come to life as visitors use crayons to rub the images and reveal them in full.
Originally installed on the sidewalks of Retardation Avenue, "History Class Part 2" aimed to reach beyond the educated gallery attendees and engage a wider audience across from the Democracy Monument, where significant protests, violence, and killings had occurred in both 1973 and 1992. The exhibit prompts viewers to pond
...er questions about the manipulation, distortion, rereading, and interpretation of history. Thailand experienced a period of unstable democracy since 1973, with military rule being reinstated following a violent coup in 1976.
The artist aims to create an atmosphere in the classroom that evokes the events of 14 October 1973 in Thailand, when student protests broke out demanding a constitution before a massacre occurred. Despite efforts to promote international education and establish a "learning society" through educational reform over the past decade, Thai history has been dominated by a "master narrative" that presents rulers in a positive light while ignoring or suppressing evidence of state-sponsored violence. These events are not taught to Thai students, who instead learn from standardized textbooks. The artist uses old children's school desks to draw attention to this gap between official discourse and alternative
histories. Symbols, scenes, and quotations from prominent historical figures are inscribed on each desk to address forgotten or suppressed episodes from Thai history. Visitors are provided with paper and colorful pencils and are invited to reveal previously scraped pictures and symbols through pencil rubbing. The aim is to encourage visitors to produce their own history textbooks and reclaim their pasts.Furthermore, Turkey has faced similar situations such as the 6-7 September incidents and the 12 September military coup. Unfortunately, there is no formal information in history textbooks, so we must make an effort to learn about the real history. In History Class Part 2, the desks are lined up in pairs with one image portraying a porter of intellectuals who demanded political reform during the monarchy regime while the other shows a porter of those who caused these people to be jailed or executed. This dilemma reminds us that every child shared the same class, passed through the same education, and chose what kind of person they wanted to become. In terms of participation in nonsexual art, Suttee has had a clear impact on the trend of the art world. The fall of communism and the reaction against capitalism have left people feeling numb and more inclined towards participating in art works. The social effect of History Class is more important than its artistic quality. Considering all the points mentioned above, History Class Part 2 serves as a great reminder of the atrocities that took place in history and how states chose to transmit them to the next generations.
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