Anyone with a free weekend on November 21-22 and a craving for something different might enjoy wandering through the city with Galleries' Night, the annual art marathon that keeps Bangkok awake in the best way.
Now in its 12th year, the event gathers more than 200 Thai and international artists across over 80 spaces. It's a useful excuse for those of us who keep meaning to step inside a gallery but never quite manage it. The late hours help. Everything runs deep into the night, so there's room to take your time, stroll without rushing and see how the city behaves when the usual chaos dies down. Bangkok feels surprisingly different after dark.
Getting around is simple enough. Free MuvMi electric shuttles run from 6pm-11pm, stopping at all the participating venues. Each space hands out free maps, and the website galleriesnights.com has downloadable PDFs if you'd rather plan ahead, though a bit of aimless wandering tends to work just as well.
Galleries' Night Bangkok (November 21-22) Split across two routes over two nights
- November 21: Silom, Sathorn, Riverside
- November 22: Sukhumvit, Ari, Pathum Wan
Galleries' Night Chiang Mai (November 14-15) Three routes, all beginning at CMU Art Centre
Route A
- A1: 31st Century Museum of Contemporary Spirit – Aesthetic of Hope and Dreams by Kamin Lertchaiprasert
- A2: Wattana Art Gallery – Collected works by Wattana Wattanaphan
- A3: Figurelab Art Studio – COLOR BODY ATTACK
- A4: Pongnoi Community Art Space – ART IS EVERYWHERE.. by Bartosz Fraczek
- A5: Light Bulb – Drawing the Red Herring by Rebecca Olsen
Route B
- B1: Studios 94 – INTIMACY, group show with Chae Sengkwong, Christoph Sawyer, Purin Panichphant, Ivan Miroshnichenko and Ashlin McAndrew
- B2: The Meeting Room Art Gallery – Traces of Faith by Sirapop Wongsorn
- B3: Kalm Village – Jitta Yatra: A Journey Through the Landscape of the Mind, solo show by Kan Nateewoottikul
- B4: DC Collection – Exploratory presentation of 21st Century Thai Contemporary Art from DC Collection
- B5: Jingjai Gallery – Chiangmai Life In the Ordinary by Sriwan Janhattakarnkij
It's a decent chance to walk a bit slower, stumble across artists you've never heard of and let both cities show you something unexpected once the sun goes down.