Thailand’s Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (OCAC) has announced the fourth edition of its roving Thailand Biennale, to be launched in the idyllic and intriguing resort island of Phuket.
Eternal [Kalpa], which will run from 29 Nov 2025 until 30 Apr 2026, invokes a Hindu-Buddhist conception of time—the lifetime of the universe. The exhibition will feature more than 60 artists from Asia and beyond, many living and working on islands and coasts, exploring the diversity and contradictions of temporal experience.
Maree Sheehan, Alex Monteith & Apiwat Thongyoun, research documentation, Koh Surin, Thailand. Image courtesy the artists.
Blessed with a balmy climate and famed for its hospitality, Phuket has always harboured diversity: a haven for people and other species coming from every direction, a transit point between worlds. For centuries its bays welcomed pilgrims, traders, nomads and pirates, alongside migrants seeking new rhythms and opportunities, bringing with them different beliefs, technologies and stories. The largest island on Thailand’s Andaman coast, Phuket was a critical site for tin mining, timber and agriculture through the colonial era. In the mid-1980s, its economy pivoted from extractive industries to the tourism that prevails today. In 2015, it became the first city in Southeast Asia to be named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.
Rather than postcards of a languid tropical paradise, Eternal [Kalpa] proposes a multiplicity of tempos, cycles and timelines, inspired by the dynamic interplay—and fraught interdependence—between humans, non-humans, and the places they inhabit. Artists, architects, designers, performers, ecologists and other researchers have been gathering in Phuket to learn from its environments and hear about its complex histories. In dialogue with park rangers, musicians and dancers, storytellers, free-divers, geckos, rubber trees, textile producers, herb merchants, shrine deities, mangrove roots and sea grasses, mine deposits, migrant workers, hospitality experts, pearl farmers, beach scavengers and more, the biennale will amplify the manifold rhythms of the island, from the quotidian to the cosmic.
Nirmala Dutt, Anak Asia, 1983. Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas. Image courtesy the estate of Nirmala Dutt.
Activating a range of historic, post-industrial and civic venues, and Phuket’s stunning natural environments, 50 new commissions will be realised in partnership with art institutions, government agencies and private foundations from around the world. Amongst the new productions is a series of special outdoor ‘Timepieces’, artistic propositions conceived with the support of local partners to enhance and animate everyday public spaces.
The list of participating artists includes: Aleksandra Domanović, Alex Monteith, Maree Sheehan & Apiwat Thongyoun, Andrew Thomas Huang, Ampannee Satoh, Anuwat Apimukmongkon, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Ariane Sutthavong, Ayoung Kim, bani haykal, Chantana Tiprachart, Chatpong Chuenrudeemol & Eakapob Huangthanapan, Doloh Chetae, Eiji Sumi, Haig Aivazian, Ibrahim Mahama, Imhathai Suwatthanasilp, Kamol Phaosavasdi, Kite, Koneksi Tamalanrea, Lek Kiatsirikajorn, Luana Vitra, Megan Cope, Melati Suryodarmo, Minnette de Silva, Mochu & Merve Ertufan, Nathalie Muchamad, Nirmala Dutt, Niwat Manatpiyalert, Noémie Goudal, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Oat Montien, Oliver Laric, Pauline Curnier Jardin & Feel Good Cooperative, Pitupong Chaowakul, Pratchaya Phinthong, Riar Rizaldi, Robert Zhao Renhui, Rossella Biscotti, Rungruang Sittirerk, Ryue Nishizawa, Santi Lawrachawee, Saroot Supasuthivech, Serene Hui, Supapong Laodheerasiri, Supitcha Tovivich, Speedy Grandma, Taiki Sakpisit, Taloi Havini, Taeko Tomiyama, Thuy Tien Nguyen, TOQA, Tsai Ming-Liang, Tun Win Aung & Wah Nu, Wilawan Wiangthong, Woraphob Tantinantakul, Wu Chi-Yu, Wu Tsang, Yim Maline, Zhao Yao and Zheng Mahler. (Names in bold indicate new commissions for Thailand Biennale, Phuket 2025.) The complete list of participants, together with an exciting transdisciplinary public programme, will be announced soon.
Zheng Mahler, Seagrass Krachang, 2025. Stainless steel sea-grass cages, batik banners, 3-channel video, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artists and PHD Group.
Andrew Thomas Huang, The Deer of Nine Colors, 2025. Resin, 24k gold, 2-channel video installation, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist.
Kamol Phaosavasdi, Sketch for sculpture and Perfume Painting in stainless steel plate, work in progress for Thailand Biennale, Phuket 2025 — a multimedia installation inspired by the local legend of Masuri (Phra Nang Luead Khao), exploring the psychological states of anxiety, resilience, and transformation shaped by human fate and history. Image courtesy of the artist.
Eternal [Kalpa] is conceived and realised by Artistic Directors Arin Rungjang and David Teh, and Curators Marisa Phandharakrajadej and Hera Chan. For press inquiries, please contact: info@thailandbiennale.org / Kittima Chareeprasit, askus.thailandbiennale2025@gmail.com. Phone: +66 90 978 4033
About Thailand Biennale
The itinerant Thailand Biennale was initiated to decentralize contemporary art in Thailand and engage new audiences, revitalising and reimagining provincial destinations for visitors and locals alike. After the inaugural biennale in Krabi (2018) and a second in Korat (2021), its third edition took place in Chiang Rai (2023) in the country’s north. Thailand Biennale, Phuket 2025 will be the fourth exhibition in the series, organized by Thailand’s Office of Contemporary Art and Culture in partnership with the provincial government of Phuket.
Learn more at: https://www.thailandbiennale.org/
Media Contact
Company Name: Office of Contemporary Art and Culture
Contact Person: Ministry of Culture
Email: Send Email
Phone: +66 90 978 4033
City: Bangkok
Country: Thailand
Website: www.thailandbiennale.org