Art in Bangkok: Princess masterpieces and views from the middle of the globe

Leading this month’s exhibitions are the fantastical art of a Thai princess and several cool international and regional group exhibitions. Check them out below.

Marsi, until March 29

Princess Marsi’s paintings are coming to Thailand again for the first time in decades. Born in 1931, Marsi is the daughter of the late Prince and Princess Chumbhot, who established the old teakwood Suan Pakkad Palace just north of downtown Bangkok.

Marsi spent most of her adult life living in Europe, studying and then teaching art history in both Thailand and Spain. From the Renaissance through the centuries towards modernism, her art evokes many of the great European masters.

The exhibition in the Hall of Mirrors at Siam Paragon includes some 38 paintings from a career that produced 100-plus artworks. Organised by the recently set up Marsi Foundation, the paintings span her early career to the early millennium, when the elderly princess was forced to retire from painting due to a debilitating stroke.

Hall of Mirrors, Siam Paragon. Open daily, 10am-10pm. BTS: Siam.

Trans COOL Tokyo

Trans Cool TOKYO, until March 28

Almost like a museum space for rent, it seems like the recent large-scale exhibitions at the BACC are only being staged thanks to external support by overseas institutions.

With the exhibition of contemporary Japanese art “Twist & Shout” only having just closed, another large group show of Japanese art opens. Backed by the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the exhibition focuses on the recent 1990s generation of artists, led by Yoshitomo Nara. 

Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC), 939 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan, Tel: +66 (0)2 214 6630. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-9pm. www.bacc.or.th. BTS: National Stadium

Suffering, until March 28

Having participated in the Thai Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale and last year co-curating the Thai contribution at the 53rd, Silpakorn lecturer Amrit Chusuwan returns with his latest solo exhibition.

Employing a variety of mediums and materials including found and ready-made objects, light boxes, photography and film, Amrit focuses on Buddhist thoughts towards suffering. 

DOB Hualamphing, Resident One Property Co, Ltd, DOB Building 2F, 318 Rama IV Road. Tel: +66 (0)85 482 3566. Open daily, 10am-7pm. MRT: Hualamphong

Double O Seth Goldscissors

Double O Seth Goldscissors, until March 31

Sethapong Povatong’s solo show features his latest series of pop-inspired collages. Both comical and surreal, the collages are layered with an array of curious imagery that includes comic book heroes, architectural wonders, consumer products, flora and fauna. Sethapong’s first illustrated book, “Perfect Dreams,” was selected by Dazed & Confused in Japan as one of 100 most inspirational artist books of the past 40 years.       

Art Gorillas, Lido Bldg 2F, 260 Siam Square Soi 3. Tel: +66 (0)2 658 3975. Open Tuesday to Sunday, noon-8pm. www.myspace.com/artgorillas. BTS: Siam

Don’t Worry Be Lucky, March 18 to April 18

Chiang Mai based Luck Maisalee uses animals and other symbols to convey his life journey. Born in the year of the tiger, the feline is a dominant image that runs through his paintings, mixed media works, woodcuts and mono prints. Inspired by folk, naïve, and children’s art, Luck’s works are loaded with a whimsical innocence that reflects his playful personality. 

Galerie N, 139/5 Wireless Rd. Tel: +66 (0)2 654 0522. Open Tueday to Sunday, 10am-7pm. www.galerienbangkok.com. MRT: Lumphini

Another Side

Another Side, March 13 to April 30

Dreams have long provided creative impetus to artists and this group exhibition of Thai and international artists again delves into the artist’s subconscious. Celebrating the irrational and unpredictable, the 20 artworks on view resist canonical norms, creating non-linear interpretations through painting, sculpture, printmaking and photography.

La Lanta, 245/14 Sukhumvit Soi 31. Tel: +66 (0)2 260 5381. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-7pm. www.lalanta.com. BTS: Phrom Phong

The Tropics -- Views from the Middle of the Globe, March 13 to June 12

This ambitious travelling exhibition features both contemporary and pre-modern art from, pertaining to tropical regions. Already presented in Brazil, South Africa and Germany, the three curators attempt to detect currents of energy and subtle disturbances between the hemispheres in times of tension, and to search for cooperative as well as counteractive cultural forces.

St. Marks 1986-2006

St. Marks 1986-2006, March 6-21

A regular visitor to Bangkok, American-Swedish fashion and portrait photographer Jesper Haynes displays intimate snapshots of life inside his New York apartment. Captured over a 20-year period, the playful documentary photos are presented as collages, revealing the friends and relationships the lens man experienced living in the Big Apple’s trendy East Village.

Nospace Gallery, 21/108 Block D, Royal City Avenue (RCA). Open Monday-Tuesday, 11am-7pm, Wednesday to Sunday, 11am-1am. www.nospacebkk.com. MRT: Phra Ram 9

Another World Another Boundary, March 10 to April 3

This group exhibition of Chinese artists explores parallel realms beyond the boundaries of everyday existence. Intangible, surreal, virtual or spiritual, the seven artists propel viewers into other worlds that are borne from religious belief, computer gaming or inner psychological examination.        

Tang Contemporary Art, Unit B-28 (Basement), Silom Galleria, 919/1 Soi 19. Tel: +66 (0)2 630 1114. Open Monday to Saturday, 11am–7pm. www.tangcontemporary.com. BTS: Surasak