The Festival
The Festival poses the question of how choreography, installations, sculpture and visual arts interact and facilitate a translation from one to the other. Conceived as a multidisciplinary approach, the festival focuses on the relationship between material and choreographic design, perception and literature interpretation, folding and unfolding design of inner and outer space of the human body, as well as interaction and participation between different mediums.
In a natural and rational way, Kafka combines obscure and surreal scenarios with the real world, a motif which today is used in a variety of literary and cinematic formats. But we intend to challenge our Thai audience to explore other interpretations of Kafka’s works through visual and conceptual art. “Abstract and conceptual art are not there to confuse us, but rather to give us freedom for interpretation and make us think.” Thus, our programme, which gives birth to important cross-cultural and cross-discipline collaborations, definitely conducts creative exchanges with arts communities.
Founder and Artistic DirectorJitti Chompee
Unfolding Kafka is a biennial festival for contemporary performing arts in Bangkok. It was founded by the Thai choreographer Jitti Chompee. He was inspired to establish a festival platform for contemporary dance in Thailand, using ‘Kafka’ as a cipher for conceptual and experimental approaches, after seeing “Der Bau” by Isabelle Schad and Laurent Goldring at Tanzplattform 2014 in Hamburg, Germany.
The performance, inspired by Franz Kafka’s novel, made Jitti realize that the piece, conceived as a dance work, could easily be considered as a visual art. Over the years, the festival has established itself as a central platform, facilitating international guest performances and collaborations. In 2024, coinciding with Kafka’s hundredth death anniversary, the festival will take place for the tenth and final time, aiming for a worthy conclusion.
Festival Team
Artistic Director: Jitti Chompee
Stage Manager: Thachaporn Jirasakkee
Technical Director: Jirach Eaimsa-ard
Project Coordinator: Khon Kaen Choreography Development-KKCD
Press & PR Coordinator: Jitti Chompee
Programme Designer: KKCD
Web Designer: Chanatda Ruangrat
Web Editorial: Jitti Chompee
Cooperation Partners: the Goethe-Institut Thailand, Ambassade de France en Thaïlande, The Embassy of Spain in Thailand, Jim Thompson Art Center, the Japan Foundation, Bangkok, TCEB, Embassy of Israel
Venue Partners: Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok Kunsthalle
Hotel Partners: The Quarter hotel by Urban Hospitality Group (UHG)
Educational program partners: Department of Dramatic Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University (FAA),
Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Khon Kaen University / Bachelor’s Degree of Fine and Applied Arts (Performance Practice) and College of Music, Mahasarakham University, Prayoon for Art Foundation
Contributors
The Unfolding Kafka Festival is honored to collaborate with the Goethe-Institut Thailand, the Ambassade de France en Thaïlande, the Embassy of Spain in Thailand, the Department of Cultural Promotion, Ministry of Culture Thailand, the Japan Foundation, Bangkok, the Embassy of Israel, Prayoon for Art Foundation, and the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), whose invaluable support significantly contributes to the realization of this international arts and culture festival.
Through this collaboration, the festival seeks to reinforce Thailand’s position as the host of a distinctive “signature” international performing arts platform—one that enables local audiences and professionals to engage directly with leading contemporary artists from around the world, many of whom rarely have the opportunity to present their work in Southeast Asia.
