mage caption: Savanhdary Vongpoothorn, Aflame, photogravure, 2023. Installation view of ‘Aflame’, Campbelltown Arts Centre, 2023. Viridian Press, Benalla. Courtesy the artist, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne and Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney. Photo: Silversalt Photography

Saturday 7 October, 11:00am – 12:00pm

On the occasion of the exhibition ‘Savanhdary Vongpoothorn: Aflame’, Campbelltown Arts Centre presents a panel discussion looking at Theravāda Buddhism within contemporary art through the practices of acclaimed artists Savanhdary Vongpoothorn and Phaptawan Suwannakudt. The discussion will consider commonalities of experience across Vongpoothorn’s and Suwannakudt’s lives which manifest within their artistic practices including their enduring engagement with Theravada Buddhism, intergenerational learning and migration. The discussion considers how these experiences have influenced the artists’ work, and highlights the significance of engagements with tradition in contemporary practice.

Panel: Dr Chaitanya Sambrani, Curator and Associate Professor of Art History and Curatorship, Australian National University, Melanie Eastburn, Senior Curator, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Phaptawan Suwannakudt, Savanhdary Vongpoothorn. 

Chair: Isabelle Morgan, Curator Contemporary Visual Art, Campbelltown Arts Centre.

Cost: Free, Bookings required