Khao Yai 'Art Forest' Shakes Up Thailand's Art Scene
The new 210-acre arts institution envisions nature as a living canvas.
Nestled in the lush mountains of Pong Ta Long, just three hours away from the bustle of Bangkok, you can find the newly-opened Khao Yai Art Forest – a 210-acre arts sanctuary where creativity and ecology collide. The project, powered by Khao Yai Art, aims to transform Thailand’s art scene by providing expansive and fertile grounds for artistic vision through large-scale commissions, site-specific installations and exhibitions.
After living in Hong Kong for 21 years, arts patron and Khao Yai Art founder Marisa Chearavanont moved back to Thailand in 2019 with the hopes of strengthening the country’s arts patronage and institutional infrastructure. She came across the unique site shortly after; drawn to its rich history and character, she envisioned an art forest as a kind of “reforestation project.”
“When we go to Hong Kong for the auctions, for example, we hardly see Thai artists, and I feel that the Thai artists who are there are undervalued,” she told ARTnews. “I want to use my resources to give Thai people access to international art and to help our local artists receive exposure outside Thailand.”
The initial suite of installations spotlight a range of voices from Thai and international artists. Echoing the institution’s commitments to nature, mindfulness and well-being, permanents works include Fujiko Nakaya’s Fog Forest; GOD, a towering stone sculpture by Francesco Arena; an earth-based work, titled Pilgrimage to Eternity, by Ubatsat; and a Martin Kippenberger-dedicated K-BAR by Elmgreen & Dragset, the artist duo behind Prada Malfa. Additionally, scattered throughout forest, are works by Louise Bourgeois, Richard Long, Richard Nonas and Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook.
Check out Khao Yai Art Forest’s website for more information about tickets and how to visit.
