Thailand’s creative energy has thrived in recent years across design, entertainment, fashion, and food, and the buzz of Bangkok as the new hotspot on the art circuit is palpable. I am excited to share my usual haunts in Bangkok, from cultural landmarks, homegrown galleries, to stylish boutiques, that make up the frequent urban adventures I make from Hong Kong. With deCentral, the art-focused social enterprise under the Central Group, set to open in April 2027, Bangkok will remain an art destination for a while to come.

TO EXPLORE

Dib Bangkok

Just before Christmas, I had the privilege of attending the opening reception and preview of Dib, the hottest cultural landmark to hit Bangkok’s contemporary art scene. Its name is derived from the Thai word for ‘raw’ or ‘authentic’. The fruit of a multi-generational vision of the Osathanugrah family (initiated by the late father, Petch, and taken over by son Purat “Chang” in 2023), Dib is housed in a repurposed steel warehouse designed by Thai native Kulapat Yantrasast (of WHY Architecture). Welcomed with an almost Zen-like calm, the courtyard is anchored by Alicija Kwade’s Pars pro Toto (2020), setting the complex apart from the delightful urban jumble of the surrounding Khlong Toei district. The inaugural exhibition under its striking sawtooth roof, “(In)visible Presence”, curated by the inaugural Museum Director Dr. Miwako Tezuka and curator Ariana Chaivaranon, showcases 80 works by 40 local and international artists, including Montien Boonma, Lee Bul, and Anselm Kiefer. Don’t miss the sculpture garden featuring works by Pinaree Sanpitak, Sho Shibuya, as well as James Turrell’s first permanent installation in Thailand. 

111 Soi Sukhumvit 40, Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei

Bangkok Kunsthalle

Founded by art patron and philanthropist Marisa Chearavanont and led by Director Stefano Rabolli Pansera, Bangkok Kunsthalle has become one of Bangkok’s most significant art spaces since its launch in January 2024. True to its organic approach, the Kunsthalle is slowly reviving its vast Brutalist building in bustling Chinatown, which was once home to Thailand’s premier academic printing house but was abandoned after a fire over 20 years ago. A museum without a collection, its year-round programme focuses on commissions and artist residencies, often with site-specific interventions. I always make time to visit whenever I am in Bangkok, as I am surprised every time by new nooks and crannies uncovered by artists’ projects, leaving permanent marks on the evolving fabric of the building.

Sister project Khao Yai Art Forest, a 3-hour drive from the city, is well worth a visit for its magical healing energy with art and culinary at its centre.

599 Pantachit Alley, Pom Prap

Jim Thompson House / The Jim Thompson Art Center

This elegant teak Thai-style house right by the canal, surrounded by a lush garden, was built in 1959. Full of tastefully arranged art and antique pieces, it was once the home of Jim H. W. Thompson, an American entrepreneur and advocate for the Thai silk industry. Thompson’s collection of old Thai paintings, Buddhist sculptures, Chinese blue-and-white ceramics and various objets d’art are displayed in the same way as it was in his time. It gives me endless inspiration for how a visionary and tastemaker once lived with all things beautiful across genres and eras.

Located in the same compound is the Jim Thompson Art Center. To nurture artistic activities and create public awareness of both contemporary and traditional arts, the Art Center organises exhibitions, conducts educational and outreach programmes, produces publications, and collaborates with local and international cultural institutions since its opening in 2003. There is always a nice surprise installed in its small gallery.  

6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Road

Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC)

Opened in 2018, BACC features a central atrium with a huge white, curving facade and spiral walkways, designed by Robert G Boughey and Associates, and is surrounded by nine floors of exhibitions, shops, and restaurants. Home to the upcoming Bangkok Art Biennale (opening in October), the collection comprises modern and contemporary art from Thailand and around the world, including photographs, paintings, installations, and sculptures.

939 Rama I Road, Wang Mai, Pathumwan

Nova Contemporary

Founded by Sutima Sucharitakul in 2016, Bangkok’s homegrown gallery found a new home last April in a renovated shophouse in the Bang Rak neighbourhood. Designed by Skarn Chaiyawat Architects, the five-storey space, connected by a cast-in-place staircase with bent-iron sheet railings, showcases an artistic programme of emerging and established artists rooted in Thailand’s unique heritage. Defined by a pivot glass door set into the building’s front, it serves as a wide window to connect the local community with the art on view inside.

86 Si Phraya Road, Bang Rak

Bangkok CityCity Gallery

Founded in 2015 by Akapol “Op” Sudasna and Supamas Phahulo, the gallery has been known for its experimental programme of emerging and established artists. Designed by Site-Specific: Architecture & Research, the purpose-built gallery is located in one of the few open spaces in the heart of Bangkok. My favourite part of the gallery is BOOKSHOP LIBRARY, a white-washed space flooded with natural light filled with books published by the gallery as well as other publishers about artists on the programme.

13/3 Sathorn 1, South Sathorn Road, Thung Mahamek

Thai Creative and Design Center (TCDC)