Art exhibitions this May

In Mit Jai Inn’s world, a canvas doesn’t sit politely on a wall. It spills, folds, stretches, unravels. His latest exhibition, anchored in the concept of 'Scroll’, fuses Eastern scroll painting with Western traditions, only to unpick them entirely. Works pulse with layered pigment and movement, rejecting the idea of a fixed perspective. They’re less images, more surfaces in flux. Then there’s Floor Work – not a series so much as a provocation. These pieces abandon the wall altogether, sprawling across the ground in thick, textured layers. They turn viewing into something spatial, even physical, asking you to tread carefully, literally. Mit Jai Inn isn’t offering neat stories or tidy frames. His art resists resolution. What you get instead is colour, contradiction and a quiet refusal to stay still. Until Jun 9. Free. Central Chidlom, 10am-10pm

The potholes weren’t metaphorical, though they might as well have been. In Tada Hengsapkul’s latest work, a simple journey home becomes a quiet reckoning – with governance, with memory, with the steady erosion of what should have been maintained. The rutted streets of Bangkok aren’t just inconvenient. They’re symptomatic. Each jolt and swerve calls back the artist’s past trips along Mittraphap Road, the so-called ‘Friendship Highway’, once a Cold War-era gift from America, now a conduit for uneven development stretching from capital to countryside. Here, infrastructure acts as both a relic and reminder – of broken systems and promises that never quite held. What begins as a personal moment unfolds into something far wider, asking not what progress looks like, but whom it truly serves. Not everything built was meant to last. May 17-Jul 13. Free. Hop Photo Gallery, MunMun Srinakarin, 11am-7pm

There’s no stage, no spotlight, no actor waiting in the wings. In this performance, pain takes the lead – not metaphorical anguish, but the quiet, cumulative kind societies learn to ignore. Instead of a script, there’s data. Sound, image, fragments of suffering fed into an automated system called ‘Pain Killer’. Audience members aren’t spectators so much as test subjects. You sit, you listen, you engage – or don’t. The system responds either way. It isn’t dramatic, but it is unsettling. You leave not with a programme but a result, a printed outcome revealing just how much pain you've learned to tolerate without flinching. The question lingers long after: what hurts have we normalised? And more importantly, when did silence become the default response? May 9-11 and 16-18. B550-1,450 via here. Buffalo Bridge Gallery, 7pm

Chulayarnnon Siriphol doesn’t deal in tidy narratives. His latest work – a 24-part video series stitched from digitised VHS, Mini-DV tapes and archival footage – feels more like an excavation than a film. Ghosts of analogue media flicker across the screen, layered, degraded, insistent. It’s not nostalgia. It’s something more defiant. Titled I a Pixel, We the People, the work reimagines the pixel as protest – a fragment, disposable on its own, but capable of revolution en masse. Siriphol sees digital space not as escape, but battleground. A pixel isn’t innocent. It resists. It remembers. Through fractured images and temporal noise, he maps out a quiet insurgency. The question isn’t whether we’re being watched, but whether we’ve already become part of the screen. Until Jun 21. Free. Bangkok CityCity Gallery, Wed to Sat, 1pm-6pm

Poorboy’s latest exhibition doesn’t worship the road so much as question what we’re really chasing when we set off down it. This exhibition is less about escape and more about what happens in motion – that restless in-between where the landscape blurs, playlists loop and time folds in strange ways. Vehicles appear not as machines but as extensions of the self, weathered companions with their own histories. Destinations feel secondary, even irrelevant. What matters are the fragments: a half-empty petrol station at dusk, the sudden vastness of a field you didn’t mean to find, the silence after the engine cuts out. This isn’t nostalgia. It’s a meditation on movement – and on the small, strange things we learn when we keep going. Until Jun 15. Free. Trendy Gallery, 10am-7pm

Silence isn’t absence – not here, anyway. At the Silent Theatre Festival, voices are left at the door. What remains is expression in its rawest form: bodies in motion, glances that linger too long, gestures that say more than monologues ever could. Hosted by the House of Mask & Mime, this year’s programme leans into the uncanny, the absurd and the quietly devastating. There are five performances in total – Untold Stories, Saw Sing Swing, House of Mask and Mime, Something Stupid and the wonderfully titled What if my Grandma is a Spy? – each pulling at the edges of what theatre can be without words. It’s not about silence as stillness, but silence as resistance, as imagination, as everything that speech can’t quite reach. May 17-18. B450 via here. Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, 

Inspiration rarely arrives fully formed. For the six artists in this group exhibition, it flickers through memory, mood and myth – glimpses of childhood, half-remembered stories, fractured aesthetics that don’t quite align. Some find it in the quiet chaos of the present, others in the shape of a feeling they haven’t named yet. The works are varied, but the intent is shared: to give shape to thought, however slippery. What binds them isn’t subject matter, but obsession – with process, with precision, with the fragile act of turning the immaterial into something that holds its weight. There’s no manifesto here, no single voice. Just six distinct paths tracing the same question: how do you make the invisible visible, and keep it honest? Until May 31. Free. La Lanta Fine Art, 10am-7pm

There’s something oddly comforting about images that don’t explain themselves. Fathom in Absence, a screening series curated by Sippakorn Aotrakul and Phasitpol Kerdpool, isn’t interested in neat resolutions or linear stories. It asks you to sit with silence, to notice what disappears, to listen for what flickers between the edits. This is the first in a new wave of guest-curated film programmes at Bangkok Kunsthalle, opening with four experimental Thai films from the early 2000s – The Cruelty and the Soy-Sauce Man+, Mae Nak, Kon Jorn and Birth of the Seanéma. Each Saturday in May, they’ll be shown without fanfare, just a screen and a room and whatever you're willing to bring with you. No tickets, no cost. Just an invitation to witness what lingers when the story steps aside. May 3, 17 and 31. Free. Bangkok Kunsthalle.

The exhibition unfolds not with noise but with stillness, asking viewers to unlearn the instinct to categorise. Across a sequence of photographs, identity is presented not as fact but as feeling – shifting, unresolved, defiantly uncoded. What begins as a quiet meditation soon reveals itself as a layered refusal. The binary – once a seemingly stable structure – is dismantled image by image. Here, the influence of digital language is clear: 0 and 1 reimagined, not as limits but as endless combinations. Bodies blur, gazes linger, definitions fall away. Some portraits are bold, others barely there. All resist the neatness of X or Y. Rather than offering answers, the exhibition suggests another way of looking – one that doesn’t require certainty, doesn’t expect sameness and has no interest in choosing sides. May 1-29. Free. Ming Art Space, open Fri-Sun, 10am-7pm

At ChangChui Gallery, the boundaries between chaos and creation blur in an exhibition that invites more than just observation. Line Censor’s latest work, framed under the theme ‘Perfect Storm’, promises a deep dive into the complexities of identity and perspective. Whether examining the turbulence of inner conflict or the eruption of societal shifts, his pieces offer a vivid exploration of what happens when forces – both internal and external – collide. Known for his intricate, often unsettling creativity, Line Censor doesn't just present art, he forces a reckoning with it. The result is a visceral experience that lingers long after you leave, the storm still quietly brewing.  May 10-Jun 15. Free. ChangChui Gallery, closed Mon, Tue-Fri, 2pm-10pm, Sat-Sun 11am-10pm

Manit Sriwanichpoom’s latest exhibition invites us to peer into a future carved by human ambition and technology. Through a striking blend of photography and video, the works are generated by artificial intelligence, weaving prompts and big data into a visual narrative. Mars, once a red desert, is rendered in an unsettling shade of shocking pink, offering a jarring contrast that mirrors the environmental and social upheavals we face on Earth. It’s a future where the lines between the real and the imagined blur, raising questions not only about our impact on this planet, but on the ones we’ve yet to touch. The result is a chilling vision of what might await, a quiet warning wrapped in an almost surreal beauty. Until Jun 28. Free. Kathmandu Photo Gallery, 11am-6pm

Arnon Neiysoongnoen – better known as Cheese Arnon – didn’t arrive via the usual route. No fine art degree, no institutional polish. Just walls, wood, canvas and a can of spray paint. The Beginning traces that messy, instinctive start, shaped less by theory and more by doing –  and redoing. His work hums with the raw energy of someone who never waited for permission. Threaded throughout is ‘Fox,’ a lone figure who reappears like muscle memory. Not quite a mascot, more like a stand-in – resilient, unbothered by disorder, moving through each scene with quiet tenacity. What unfolds here isn’t a manifesto, but a personal reckoning. Art as formation, not performance. Each mark less about perfection, more about staying in motion when everything else says stop. Until May 25. Free. 333Gallery, closed Mon, 11am-6pm

Ahmed, a Moroccan artist based in Bangkok, presents a solo exhibition that reflects his dual background in photography and music. His work centres on the human form, capturing gestures that blur the line between motion and pause. Each image becomes a quiet study of vulnerability and presence, where expression takes precedence over spectacle. There’s a subtle rhythm to his portraits – a visual tempo that draws from his musical roots, translating into frames that feel both composed and instinctive. The subjects, often caught mid-thought or mid-movement, offer a sense of unguarded honesty rarely seen in posed work. It’s this interplay between intimacy and distance, control and spontaneity, that defines the tone of the exhibition. In Ahmed’s lens, the body doesn’t perform – it reveals. May 1-30. Free. Sound Pop Coffee, 8am-5pm

Doraemon fans, this one’s for you. The 100% Doraemon and Friends Tour arrives in Thailand for the first time, following stops in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Shanghai. The event celebrates Fujiko F. Fujio’s 90th anniversary with life-sized manga figures. Inside, expect two key zones. The first is a manga-inspired space with life-sized figures of Doraemon and his crew – each standing at 123.9 cm, just like in the comics. The second includes a themed cafe and pop-up store with items exclusive to the tour. A giant inflatable Doraemon – the world’s largest – will also debut by the Chao Phraya River, adding a surreal new landmark to Bangkok’s riverside. May 1-June 22. B199-1,790 via here. Attraction Hall, Icon Siam, 10.30am-9pm

A blend of ceramics and painting, beckons viewers to admire a conversation between artist and material, where memories are etched into clay. Each piece reflects the artist’s unique touch – a dialogue between the hand and the earth that reverberates through every curve and line. Some artists express dreamlike realms through lines, while others channel inner emotions with vivid colours or symbols that invite the viewer to engage with deeper themes. While their methods may feel familiar, the use of fresh mediums adds a layer of unpredictability, transforming these works into something more than just art – they become an experience. Until Jun 8. Free. MMAD Mass Gallery, 11am-7pm

In the theme ‘Be Your Own Island’, this exhibition features eight emerging artists, each offering their own distinctive viewpoint. The space is divided into individual rooms, with each artist’s work carefully displayed in its own dedicated area. The diverse range of art on show covers a variety of themes, from personal identity to social issues, allowing visitors to explore different perspectives. Each artist brings their own voice and vision, making for an engaging and thought-provoking experience. This exhibition provides a platform for new talent to showcase their creativity while offering a fresh and dynamic take on contemporary art. Until Jun 29. Free. Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, 10am-8pm

To mark the 20th anniversary of Naruto, 54 Entertainment, in partnership with SL Experiences, presents Naruto The Gallery – an immersive exhibition that invites fans to explore the intertwined fates of Naruto and Sasuke. With seven meticulously curated zones, visitors journey through key moments, from their childhood in Konoha to their fated reunion during the Fourth Great Ninja War. The exhibition is not just a walk down memory lane, though. It showcases original storyboards, character designs and unforgettable anime scenes that reveal the heart of the series. Highlights include a stunning diorama of Hidden Leaf Village, a tribute to iconic quotes and an exclusive collaboration with five emerging Japanese artists. It’s a celebration of the anime’s legacy, full of surprises for fans both old and new. May 31-Jul 31. B250-450 via here. Free for kids below four years old. River City Bangkok, 10am-8pm

Studio Ghibli’s iconic soundtracks are about to sweep across Bangkok as the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra brings their enchanting music to life in a one-off concert. With stirring pieces from Kiki’s Delivery Service, One Summer Day, My Neighbour Totoro, and Howl’s Moving Castle, the evening promises to transport the audience into the worlds of Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpieces. But the evening is not just a tribute to animation. Expect a diverse mix of timeless theatre and cinematic classics, including selections from The Sound of Music. Conducted by Shinpei Sasaki, with performances from stage star Seiko Niizuma and the deft touch of pianist Tomoharu Ushida, this is one of those rare performances you simply can’t afford to miss. May 29. B1,000-3,000 via here. Thailand Cultural Centre, 7pm onwards

This art exhibition invites visitors to express their emotions through words, whether it’s a secret, a love story or anything they wish to share. Participants can write postcards, each featuring new works from 10 artists, and take part in activities that enhance the main exhibition. The theme, ‘what has never been said’, is brought to life through postcard-sized paintings. These artworks serve as a way for people to communicate their feelings beyond words. Additionally, visitors can take home a postcard from someone else as a personal keepsake. Apr 1-Jun 3. Free. MunMun Art Destination, 10.30am-7pm 

An exhibition by seven artists brings together traditional and modern Thai art in a celebration of the essence of cultural heritage. In Phra Nakhon, an area rich in history, timeless architecture and artistic treasures from the Ayutthayan to the Rattanakosin eras remain a testament to Thailand’s enduring identity. This unique showcase blends classical and contemporary styles, offering a fresh interpretation of the nation’s artistic legacy. Set on Phra Arthit Road, a historic and cultural hub, the event highlights the creativity and spirit of Thai culture. Visitors, both local and international, are invited to explore the connections between past and present while gaining a deeper appreciation of the artistic traditions that continue to shape the country. Apr 1-May 31. Free. 10 10 Art Space, 10am-7pm

Artist D-Jai Kosiyabong's solo exhibition explores the intersection of visual art, sound, language and memory, offering a multi-sensory experience. By blending painting with sound, Kosiyabong challenges traditional ideas of communication, creating a space where meaning emerges from the gaps between different forms of expression. Her innovative approach encourages viewers to reconsider how they understand and interpret the world around them. The exhibition invites a deeper reflection on how language can dissolve into pure sensation, moving beyond words and inviting the audience into a realm of raw experience. Apr 3-May 31. Free. SAC Gallery, 11am-6pm

Experience a contemporary acrobatics performance that fuses physical movement, poetry and human connections. The show follows the tale of a traveller and a couple who run this enchanting cafe. More than just a dining spot, it serves as a meeting point for diverse stories. Characters include a lively Brazilian tourist, a businessperson with a love for dance and two close-knit siblings, each forming surprising bonds. The performance highlights the beauty of new encounters, blending cultures and people through passion and remarkable acrobatic talent. Created and directed by Chloe Farah, an internationally recognised contemporary acrobatics artist, the production showcases her innovative approach to storytelling and movement. Until May 18. B1,190-1,490 via here. Alliance Française de Bangkok, 7pm onwards

This immersive, interactive digital art exhibition themed "Nature and Wildlife" highlights the beauty of ecosystems and biodiversity through advanced techniques like projection mapping, laser art and high-quality media. Spread across nine rooms at King Power Mahanakon, each space presents a distinctive experience reminiscent of a fantastical zoo. Notable features include the Kaleidoscope zone, enveloped in a variety of flowers that serve as food for butterflies; a laser projection room showcasing the majesty of predators; and an interactive underwater world. Youngsters can also enjoy a colouring activity and have their creations appear on the walls. A special surprise awaits with the appearance of Moo Deng, the famous pygmy hippopotamus from Khao Kheow Zoo, who awaits in different rooms to delight you. Until Jul 31. B350 via here and B1,000-1,200 including the Sky Walk via here. Fourth floor, King Power Mahanakon, 10am-9pm

The debut performance of The Little Prince in Thailand blends immersive digital interactive experiences with captivating installation art, inviting audiences to explore this much-loved story. The journey begins with the Story Book Theatre offering an engaging introduction to the narrative. Covering more than 2,000 square metres, the event promises an inspiring and enjoyable experience for all visitors. Also, you can visit "The Store," where you will find an exclusive selection of merchandise inspired by The Little Prince. Each item has been thoughtfully designed and chosen to reflect the charm and essence of the story, providing a unique keepsake for fans to take home. Jan 24 - May 11. B350-1,100 via here. Icon Siam, 10am-8pm

This exhibition brings a fresh approach to addressing the mental health challenges faced by many in Thailand. It creates a therapeutic space that blends digital art with engaging sensory elements such as light, colour, sound and touch. The focus is on the connection between the body and mind–acknowledging the importance of physical sensations in managing emotions. The exhibition focuses on the psychological concept of 'self-compassion', encouraging the audience to reflect on their well-being and mental state. Until Jul 12, 2025.  B200 via here. 2nd floor, MMAD at MunMun Srinakarin, 11am-8pm