Connecting people through art 

We are glad to announce, in collaboration with Museion, the presentation of the film MO NUM EN TS (2025) by Thai artist Som Supaparinya, a work that brings together historical research and fieldwork. The film was produced as part of the Han Nefkens Foundation – Southeast Asian Video Art Production Grant 2024, dedicated to the memory of the artist Dinh Q. Lê, and realized in collaboration with Jim Thompson Art Center (Thailand), The Outpost Art Organisation (Vietnam), Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art (Japan), Kunsthal Charlottenborg (Denmark), and Rockbund Art Museum (China). Following presentations at the partner institutions, the work will enter the collection of Museion.

For more than two decades, Supaparinya has examined the landscapes of Southeast Asia as sites where political ideology, ecological transformation, and historical memory intersect. In MO NUM EN TS, she focuses on the long-term impact of Cold War infrastructure across the Mekong region. Dams, roads, and electrical networks appear not only as symbols of modernization, but as enduring “monuments” that continue to shape territories, communities, and environments.

The film unfolds as a contemplative single-channel projection, combining field recordings with archival material from Cold War media and propaganda. Through a fragmented visual structure, often employing split screens, Supaparinya brings together multiple temporalities and perspectives, resisting a singular narrative and revealing history as layered, partial, and contested.

“The Southeast Asia Grant is particularly close to my heart. It was established with the encouragement and support of the Vietnamese artist and dear friend Dinh Q. Lê. Dinh was a pioneering artist, co-founder of Sàn Art, and a vital presence in the Vietnamese art community. His ability to bring people and ideas together, his generosity, and our shared commitment to supporting video art were essential in shaping this grant.”
— Han Nefkens, Founder Han Nefkens Foundation

For Museion, the project exemplifies the importance of international collaboration in shaping contemporary artistic production:

“Our collaboration with the Han Nefkens Foundation enables us to engage directly in the production of new work and to connect local audiences with global artistic perspectives. It is one of several initiatives through which Museion is embedded in an international network of institutions, fostering the exchange of ideas, artists, and research across different cultural contexts. These collaborations extend the life and visibility of artistic projects beyond a single exhibition and contribute to building lasting relationships between institutions. Such partnerships are essential to how we understand the role of a contemporary museum today: as an active participant in a transnational dialogue that connects local relevance with global discourse.
— Bart van der Heide, Director at MUSEION