With one full day in Bangkok, I had ambitious plans to hit three of its major art institutions. I woke up buzzing with excitement. In my eagerness to experience first-hand what mountains of books at home had prepared me for, my friend (the wonderful Isabelle) and I headed out so quickly we forgot necessities like the address of our hotel, rechargeable batteries and basic first aid (our blistering feet paid the price). Over the day, the spaces we visited were both diversely different from each other while sharing common elements of Thai character and were a welcome introduction to my two-week Thai art extravaganza.

Jim Thompson House

First on the agenda was Jim Thompson House. We found the property at the end of a quiet road off a main thoroughfare flocking with Thai people in traditional dress and handfuls of tourists.  The house-museum was set within a foliage of landscaped gardens. While we waited for the tour, we explored the garden so lusciously thick it made us forget we were in the centre of bustling, polluted Bangkok. Isabelle commented the landscaping itself felt like art. I agree with her sentiment- the affinity between nature, art and space in Thailand is captivating and profound.

Soon, we were taken on the tour of the house (which prohibited photographs, unfortunately!). Like all house museums I have visited, the Jim Thompson House has been curated to honour the legend (/myth) of the rich white man who once occupied it (surprise, surprise).  Jim Thompson was an American military officer became infatuated with Thailand while stationed in Bangkok. He returned after finishing his service to “revive” the Thai silk industry and thrived as a businessman before mysteriously disappearing in 1967. He designed his home in an authentic Thai style: the timber build elevated a story from the ground with large open spaces made the muggy day feel cool and breezy. The home’s traditional design was further characterised by Thompson’s art collection of Southeast Asian ceramics, paintings, sculpture and prints of both Buddhist and secular thematics. The ornate traditional antiques were mesmerising, especially in the setting of the elite homestead which indicated their luxurious worth. My tour guide was very articulate in detailing Thompson as a very handsome man and, at regular intervals, mentioning his innovational spirit by pointing to ceramic jars he relieved himself in. I wish I had a ceramic cat jar to pee in… but we can’t all be Jim Thompson.

Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre

From here, we walked to the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre. I visited earlier this year and was eager to return. What I love most about the BACC is its effortless merging of an art centre in a setting comparable to a shopping centre. While this would sound like sacrilege against the tomb-like, quiet spaces of many art galleries, it fits like a glove in Bangkok’s lively metropolis. In the lower level, year 7 students sat on the ground creating key chains, tote bags, earrings and other titbits laughing loudly and selling their work to passerbys. A few levels up, artists offered to sketch your portrait for 200 BAHT (approx. $8 AUD). Outside of the Remembrance of the Great King exhibition, a small elderly lady approached us ecstatic about the free keychains they were handing out to attendees. Despite the criticisms I have read about the rigid bureaucracy of the BACC, the vibrant energy made it feel like a socially engaged space.

Shops and stalls presented off-the-grid experiences for the curious gallery-goer. I was particularly interested in SEA Junction’s space, drawn in by Shift Map- a small curated exhibition by artist Varsha Nair presenting palm leaf documents inscribed by refugees and migrants. I spoke to the attendant who described SEA Junction’s aims to raise appreciation for South East Asia’s cultural condition through selling handicrafts, holding workshops, providing access to a small library and art exhibitions. See more information on this initiative here.

Several major exhibitions occupied the higher levels. I particularly enjoyed Earth Water Forest Air which explored the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s contribution to the arts through his Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy. The exhibition promoted the self-sustainability of Thailand’s natural and agricultural resources and fervent national protection of the environment through large-scale installations. I will note here that I was extremely excited to see this exhibition as it pulled together some key ideas of my thesis so I will shut up now before I ramble on about it too much.

Museum of Contemporary Art

After lunch at the MBK street market, we travelled 14km north to the Museum of Contemporary Art. Despite our driver having never heard of the institution and its inaccessible location, it towered on the side of the freeway as a prime example of starchitecture. I think we said, “Wow” about fifteen times each. Unlike the eclectic, bustling crowds of our first two galleries, the stereotypical “white cube” was occupied sparsely mostly by well-dressed couples in their twenties.

The generously sized exhibition spaces displayed mostly large-scale paintings and sculpture throughout the five levels. Despite the artistic and aesthetic skills throughout, the collection wafted and waned. I was engaged for the first several levels, particularly by the politically driven works of Vachara Prayulkam. However, the collection lacked diversity. One can only be engaged with large-scale paintings and sculptures for so long- 5 levels is beyond that limit. Also, MOCA excessively eroticised the female form. Going beyond a comment on the beauty of women, the curation allowed nude bodies to overtake the gallery, only occasionally complemented by landscapes and religious art (also, no naked men… where is the gender diversity?).

As we waited for a taxi after our visit, a pompous Australian lady told me of her disappointment of the collection and declared no South East Asian Art is critical and the region “had a lot of growing to do.” I found her assertion judgemental and I was sassy enough to shut down some of her unfounded presumptions- mentioning the liberal artist initiatives in Chiang Mai as a withdrawal of European and Thai art homogenization. Nevertheless, she made me think. Why was she measuring the success of Thai art through her own cultural lens, assuming Thai artists grow according to a critical scale developed by the West? While MOCA’s curation was orientated toward a Western audience through its white cube style, the Thai themes were often lost in translation through my foreign gaze. However, rather than shutting down Thai art’s integrity and “critical” capabilities according to the rules of Western art history, it is wise to challenge ourselves to dig deeper to comprehend the complexities of cultural, aesthetic and critical nuances. I hope to do this over the next few weeks, stay tuned.