XIII. Sustenance, spectacle and survival
Part 13 of an international solo on ”Lanna“ by Lim Siang Jin. This online exhibition, comprising 20 parts, is from May 6 to June 5, 2025
IN THAILAND’S highland villages, animals sustain both life and tradition. Wild boars and chickens provide essential food, anchoring self-reliance passed down through generations. But beyond survival, they shape economies—piglets are bartered, exotic cockerels and sacred elephants become tourist spectacles, balancing cultural preservation with commerce. Animals serve as companions and workers alike. Dogs guard homes and hunt, while water buffaloes plough fields, their labour unchanged for centuries. Songbirds’ melodies soften daily life, yet their bamboo cages symbolise beauty and captivity. As motorbikes replace bullock carts, the roles of animals shift, but their presence remains—a link between heritage and modernity.
Boars: From sacred to spectacle?
IN AKHA villages, wild boars were once honoured as symbols of strength, hunted with handmade spears and traps. Their meat was more than sustenance—it anchored feasts and spiritual rituals. Every part was valued: hides for tools, bones for sacred offerings. Today, tourism has started to reshape this bond. In some places, boars now sit in pens as tourist attractions, their sacred past fading into photo opportunities. This shift reflects a deeper struggle: how to honour heritage while adapting to modern demands, where authenticity and economy often collide. Yet the wild boar is not entirely reduced to spectacle—it still roams the jungles of Lanna, striking fear in those who cross its path.
Champ: A city’s past and present
CHIANG MAI hums with motorbikes and temple bells, but in its heart lies a bridge between past and present—dogs like Champ, a muscular pitbull mix with a gentle soul. Once, village dogs hunted in forests, fierce and lean. Now, Champ sprawls in urban homes, his instincts softened but not lost. Modern pet culture flourishes—designer collars, vet visits—but Champ’s role is deeper. He guards the herb garden, keeps monkeys at bay, and stands watch like his ancestors. Champ embodies this balance—part protector, part family, proof that love for animals evolves but never fades.
Feathers, paws: Tribal lifelines
IN THAILAND’S highlands, dogs and chickens are more than animals—they are survival. Chickens forage freely, their eggs and meat sustaining families. Their feathers weave into sacred rituals, their crowing setting the rhythm of daily life. Dogs are guardians, keeping predators and spirits at bay. By day, they guide villagers through the forest; by night, they stand watch. Unlike tourist spectacles, their roles remain untouched by commercialisation. They thrive on little, yet give everything—an enduring testament to a way of life that persists, even as the world around them changes.
For more information, click on links: Stephen Menon, O Art Space Gallery, Lim Siang Jin and his art, here and here. For a detailed acknowledgment, click here