Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook @ Gimpel Fils

 For this exhibition by Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, three new works are presented : Cuckoo, Niranam and Same Sea, in Selfhood’s Garden.  The format is the same: wide-angle, split-screen and mostly static camerawork. The themes are a development of Araya’s recent film work, which portrays Thai dogs, mostly strays, which the artist rescued. In Cuckoo, the left screen depicts a bed with white crumpled sheets and a window to the exterior, while the right portrays a succession of dogs feeding off iron pots or pans, filmed from above so that their faces are never visible. It then emerges that the crumpled sheets hide a reclining figure, who will disappear at some point without ever becoming visible. On the other hand, a dog has entered the room and climbs onto the bed, seemingly gazing at the figure and later, at the imprint left by the absent person. In contrast to the sharp, scratchy sound of the feasting dogs, a slow chant overlays the whole scene..