Som Supaparinya

The Rivers They Don’t See

With The Rivers They Don’t See , the Kestner Gesellschaft presents the first institutional solo exhibition of Som Supaparinya in Germany. The exhibition addresses rivers as politicized environmental structures deeply linked to the colonial history of Southeast Asia. Themes such as state control, capitalist expansion, and their socio-ecological impacts are explored.

The central work of the exhibition is the video installation The Rivers They Don’t See (2024), which traces large-scale interventions in nature and society along the Salween, Ping, and Chao Phraya rivers — from planned river diversions to the consequences of so-called "green" energy policies. Supaparinya not only documents the river courses but also their absence: dried-up riverbeds, destroyed ecosystems, and abandoned villages. The voices of refugees from Myanmar, migrant workers, and riverbank residents give a personal dimension to the effects of political decisions.

In the second room of the exhibition, My Grandpa’s Route has been Forever Blocked (2012) is presented. The video installation follows the Ping River — a once thriving trade route — and tells a personal family story shaped by the construction of the Bhumibol Dam in 1958: relocations, flooding, and the disappearance of established habitats. The exhibition is complemented by Supaparinya's most recent work, The Unsung Lyric of Ping (2025), created in collaboration with musician Helen Ganya. This video work shows the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi (2024) and combines natural sounds with images of destroyed landscapes to create a poetic portrait of an ecosystem in transition. Supaparinya’s artistic practice combines filmic research, documentary observation, and symbolic condensation. Her works evolve from long-term engagements, often spanning years, without a predefined question — a process that allows for new perspectives on social inequalities, ecological destruction, and collective memory. The exhibition was specifically developed for the architecture of the Kestner Gesellschaft: Mirror installations, sound spaces, and an immersive corridor transform the rooms into an "archive of atmospheres." 

Co-curator Natalie Keppler will continue the collaboration with Supaparinya in April 2026 with the Berlin Artist Program at daadgalerie Berlin. Accompanying the first presentation of The Rivers They Don’t See at the 2024 Bangkok Art Biennale, the publication Collapsing Clouds Form Stars: A Continuum of Resistance in the Video Works of Som Supaparinya (2025) was produced, with a text by Philippa Lovatt. Excerpts from this publication are included in the exhibition text at the Kestner Gesellschaft in both German and English.

Curated by Natalie Keppler and Alexander Wilmschen, in collaboration with the Berlin Artist Program of DAAD.

Som Supaparinya (b. 1973 in Chiang Mai) is a multidisciplinary artist working with installation, found obejcts, photography, and film. Her works engage with social history, ecological and political structures, and colonial continuities in Southeast Asia. In her video works, rivers and landscapes act as silent witnesses to societal transformation. Her artistic practice is documentary, experimental, and often allegorical. Supaparinya is a co-founder of Chiangmai Art Conversation (CAC), a non-profit artist-led initiative. In 2025, the Kestner Gesellschaft Hannover presents her solo exhibition, The Rivers They Don’t See , co-curated by Natalie Keppler. In 2026, the collaboration will continue at the daadgalerie Berlin. Supaparinya was part of the Bangkok Art Biennale (2024), documenta 15 (2022), and the Thailand Biennale (2021). Som Supaparinya lives and works in Chiang Mai.