Calling all art connoisseurs: the latest Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) will be organized throughout Bangkok for four months, from October 24th, 2024 to February 25th, 2025. The fourth edition of the BAB is being held under the theme “Nurture Gaia.”

Mother Nature as a giver of life

“Nurture Gaia,” or “Raksa Gaya” in Thai, is the theme of the Bangkok Art Biennale 2024

This year’s theme, “Nurture Gaia,” draws inspiration from the maternal figure of Mother Earth, symbolizing her role as a nurterer and giver of life across cultures. The “Gaia Hypothesis” suggests that Earth essentially functions like a living organism, sustaining life through the interaction of organic and inorganic matter.

Today, humanity faces critical challenges, including climate change, pandemics, war, and human-driven environmental destruction. Increasingly, there is a recognition that as part of the Earth, we must take action to address these urgent issues.

Event highlights

This year’s Biennale will feature 76 leading artists from 39 countries, exhibiting across 11 venues with a constellation of artworks, many of which will be displayed for the first time.

           
Gimhongsok, A Pair of High Heels, 2012.                       Mutmee Pimdao Panichsamai, Fear, 2023.
Bronze,cement, 30 x 31 x 17 cm,                                   Experimental short film, 8:25 min. Directed by Mutmee
Courtesy of the artist and Kukje Gallery.　　　　           　Pimdao Panichsamai. Still from the film by Parkin
Photo: Chunho An,　　　　　　　　　　　　　　           　　Vatanajyankur
Image provided by Kukje Gallery

　　　    
Mella Jaarsma, Pertama Ada Hitam/　　　　　　　　　　　Bruce Asbestos, Eye of Newt. Bluecoat Gallery
At First There’s　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　(FEB 2022). ©Rob Battersby
Black, 2021. Costume installation –
barkcloth, natural color, resin, ink, wood.
7 costumes in variable sizes. Video, 24’

Event highlights include a variety of artworks exploring diverse themes, from performance and costume installations examining disappearing knowledge and the tension between contemporary art and tradition to photography addressing ethnic identity and marginality. Other works explore themes of human adaptation and body modifications, the interconnectedness of mother and child, the human mind and society, and labor conditions.

For more information about the event, visit Bangkok Art Biennale official website or follow @bkkartbiennale across its social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LINE).

BAB2024 venues

Those interested in experiencing the Biennale through these two routes:

River Route:

• Temple of Dawn or Wat Arun
• Temple of the Reclining Buddha or Wat Pho 
• Temple of Iron Fences or Wat Prayoon
• Temple Bowon or Wat Bowonniwetwiharn Ratchaworawiharn
• Museum Siam (National Discovery Museum Institute or NDMI) 
• National Gallery of Thailand
• National Museum Bangkok, Siwamokhaphiman Hall

City Route:

• Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC)
• One Bangkok
• Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC), BAB BOX
• Central World

About BAB 


BAB 2024 Wall text and installation view at QSNCC.

Founded in 2017, the Bangkok Art Biennale is an art festival set in the capital of Thailand. Spanning various venues over a period of four months, BAB transforms the city of Bangkok into a lively hub that celebrates art, creativity, and culture. BAB’s mission is to transform bustling Bangkok into Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary art destination. 

During the pandemic, the Biennale also launched BAB Virtue Venue, an online platform which has garnered over 2.3 million viewers from all over the world.

BAB is supported by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), The Fine Arts Department (FAD), Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), as well as corporate sponsors including Thai Beverage Public Company Limited and One Bangkok as the lead sponsors.

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