We take a look at some of the highlights and must-see exhibitions at each of the event’s three main zones: Riverside, Witthayu-Ploenchit, and Sukhumvit.
Route: Riverside
Several of Bangkok’s most stunning landmarks and architectural marvels along the Chao Phraya River are the locations where Thai and world-class artists showcase their awe-inspiring pieces during Bangkok Art Biennale 2018. From The East Asiatic Building to the scared Wat Pho to Bank of Thailand Learning Center, the cruise along the Chao Phraya River has never been this artsy. And in case you’re down for a full-day riverside art tour, here are our picks of places to fill up your belly and wind down from being art-attacked with sips of refreshers.
The East Asiatic Building→ Yao Rooftop Bar
The historic Venetian-style The East Asiatic Company Building which was the Bangkok headquarters of Danish multinational trading conglomerate will be home to the reproduction of Elmgreen & Dragset’s Zero.
If you’re checking out the premises, make sure you take a short trip further up the river to the newly-opened Bangkok Marriott Hotel on Surawong Road. Perched atop the hotel building is Yao Rooftop Bar (262 Surawong Road, 0 2088 5666), the watering hole extension of the hotel’s Shanghainese-style restaurant of the same name. Expect Oriental influence making way into the cocktails the spanning view over Charoenkrung and Silom.
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Mandarin Oriental→ French St.
Located a few steps away from Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where French artist Aurèle Ricard will be showing the reproduction of his masterpiece installation “Lost Dog,” is antique mall O.P. Place, which also highlights the work of Filipino artist “Eisa Jocson” and Vietnamese artist collective “Art Labour”.
The leafy courtyard of the long-standing shopping center is home to French St. (O.P. Garden, Soi Charoenkrung 36, 0 2238 6400) where comfort French fare with the flavorsome elements of Provence is on offer. Head chef Frederic Guerin rejects the use of butter and cream and enforces healthy ingredients like olive oil in home cook-styled dishes like duck breast with date paste and honey, and snapper cooked “en papillote”.
Wat Pho → Tonkin Annam
If you happen to visit Wat Pho to appreciate the art installation of Pannaphat Yodmanee, just cross the street and you’ll find what’s probably one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Bangkok!
Tucked inside a chic minimalist shophouse, Tonkin Annam (69 Soi Ta Tien, Maharaj Road, 09 3469 2969) whips up authentic Vietnamese comfort fare like nem nuong (pork patty wrapped with crispy rice paper) and cha tom(shrimp grilled on sugarcane stick). The restaurant also serves Vietnamese coffee with egg yolk in the form of sweet sabayon.
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Wat Arun→ Supanniga Eating Room Ta Tien
With the breathtaking lookout at Wat Arun (also the location of Bangkok Art Biennale 2018), the Ta Tien outpost of Eastern Thai restaurant Supanniga Eating Room (392/25 Maharat Road, 0 2015 4224) is the destination of family-style Thai fare that comes with the wow-worthy flavor.
Try cha muang curry with pork and crab roe relish served with fresh vegetable. You can also drop by for a Thai-inspired afternoon tea set with delicious Thai snacks and sip Supanniga’s own tea blends or, if you prefer, Champagne.
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Bank of Thailand Learning Center→ Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roaster→ Ku Bar
After strolling inside Bank of Thailand Learning Center (273 Samsen Road, 0 2356 7766), which showcases the eye-popping masterpiece of Chinese-born French-based installation artist Huang Yong Ping, stop for a coffee break at the riverside outpost of popular cafe Pacamara. Apart from comfort espresso variations made from house-roasted beans, the café also boasts of the best spot to admire the majestic Rama VIII bridge.
Then, finish off your artful day at the cocktail bar with the most secretive location in Bangkok. Located on the fourth floor of an abandoned building near Phra Sumen Fort, Ku Bar (469 Pra Sumen Road, 09 1731 9752) celebrates the humble flavors of Thai local ingredients in the Japanese-style, produce-focused cocktails. Also in the same building is Kang Khao, a hidden wine bar that’s specialized in biodynamic wine and creative light bites.
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Route: Rama 1-Ploenchit-Sukhumvit
Bangkok metropolis has no shortage of department stores, most of which are located along Rama 1, Ploenchit, and Sukhumvit Roads. During Bangkok Art Biennale 2018, the shopping destinations along the bustling stretch will be a temporary home to cutting-edge art pieces by world-renowned legends like Yayoi Kusama and Choi Jeong Hwa. After full-day of mall hopping, we come up with a list of some of the best places to eat, drink and chill after the whole day of shopping and art appreciation.
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre→ Da Mamma
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre or BACC is one of the main locations for world-class art pieces and performances during the Bangkok Art Biennale 2018. Located in Soi Kasemsan 1, a discreet alley next to the art center, is Da Mamma (36/8 Soi Kasemsan 1, Pathumwan, 0 2612 3344. Open daily 17:30-23:30), which is arguably one of the best pizzerias in the hood.
Don’t get fooled by understated, uninteresting interiors, the pizza joint rises above other eateries with delicious pizza whipped up from the wood-fired oven, as well as satisfying pasta and other Italian-inspired bites.
CentralWorld→ Boyy Café
Throughout the Bangkok Art Biennale festival, the ceilings of CentralWorld will be dotted by Yayoi Kusama’s famous polka-dotted, pumpkin-shaped hanging objects.
Feeling like to take a break from the hype installation? Cross the street to the new annex of Gaysorn and check out Boyy & Son Café (Gaysorn Village, 999 Rama 1 Road, 0 2656 1149. Open daily 8:00-22:00), an ideal coffee-break spot where you can keep up with your high artsy spirit. Complete with earthy terrazzo tables and wall-dominating pastel hues—it could be the perfect setting for a Wes Anderson Movie, this coffee-shop spin-off of local fashion brand BOYY serves up espresso from pink La Marzocco coffee. Try iced pandan latte with soothing aroma from pandan syrup.
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Central Embassy→ Pizza Massilia→ Penthouse Bar + Grill
Located inside Soi Ruamrudee which is easily accessible by in the walking distance from Central Embassy (housing the work of Choi Jeong Hwa), Pizza Massilia (15/1 Soi Ruam Rudee, Ploenchit Road, 0 2651 5091. Open Mon-Sat 11:30-14:30, 17:30-23:00, Sunday 11:30-15:00, 17:30-23:00) is set in the dining room which could be a piece of art itself with over-the-top baroque elements and colorful patterned wallpapers.
The highlight is the pizza cooked in Naples-imported wood-fire oven with top quality ingredients like burrata and culatello. Also worth a try is the refreshing caprese salad and octopus carpaccio.
Located in the same building complex with Central Embassy, the luxury Park Hyatt Hotel boasts a three-story food-and-drink complex called Penthouse (34th-36thfloor, Park Hyatt Bangkok, 88 Wireless Road, 0 2011 7480. Open daily 17:30-24:00). Our favorite spot is the cocktail bar with mesmerizing Art Deco architectures and the impressive view of Bangkok. Arrive early to take advantage of the bar’s happy-hour promotion between 5-9 pm.
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Route: Silom-Wireless-Rama III
Lined up with international embassies and office headquarters, Silom and Wireless are two of Bangkok’s most prominent business districts. The affluent areas are also some of the city’s most culturally rich neighborhoods. The works of artists from all around the world will be displayed in cultural landmarks in these hoods, from Alliance Française de Bangkok to Nai Lert Park Heritage Home to One Bangkok.
BAB BOX at One Bangkok→ Meatchop
Located within a walking distance from BAB BOX at One Bangkok, one of the festival main locations, which showcases the iconic pieces by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara and Turkish artist Canan, Soi Saladaeng 1 is well worth a stop if you’re a foodie. The alley has been witnessing new cutting-edge dining ventures, and one of them is Meatchop (1/4 Soi Saladaeng 1, Rama 4 Road, 0 2033 2709. Open Mon-Sat 11:00-23:00), the steakhouse that’s dressed up with eye-pleasing pastel tones and serves good-quality steak in reasonable price.
Central Embassy→ Sanguan Sri→ Nonna Nella by Lenzi ←Alliance Française de Bangkok
Sanguan Sri (59/1 Wireless Road, 0 2251 9378. Open Mon-Sat 10:00-15:00), an old-school restaurant with non-characteristic décor, is perhaps the best dining destinations in the area for pocket-friendly, Thai-style bites. It’s the nostalgic, home-cooked flavors in dishes like spicy shrimp salad, five-spiced stew with pork belly and egg, and fermented rice noodle with sweet peanut sauce that has been drawing devotees to this long-standing fixture.
Authentic, home-cooked-style Italian delight is the focal point of Nonna Nella by Lenzi (G floor, All Season Place, Wireless Road, 0 2038 2184. Open Mon-Sat 11:30-22:00), the sister restaurant of Lenzi Tuscan Kitchen that takes a casual approach to Italian fare. Chef Francesco Lenzi makes use of the ingredients like cold cut and cheese that are produced in his Tuscany farm in no-nonsense Italian dishes like cold cut platters, pasta and pizza.
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Nei Lert Park Heritage Home→ Lady L→ Spirit Jim Thompson
Located in the premises of Nai Lert Heritage Home, which see the showcases of Yoshimoto Nara and Choi Jeong Hwa, Lady L (4 Soi Somkid, Ploenchit, 0 2253 0123. Open daily 9:00-22:00) offers a pleasant and peaceful respite from the busy Wireless road with leafy glasshouse setting. It’s all about Western-style bites like French-style onion soup, Beef Wellington and the famous afternoon tea set that get everyone talking.
An old house in Soi Somkit has been resurrected with a touch of edgy East-meets-West approach and morphs into Spirit Jim Thompson, a Thai restaurant under the steering of Jim Thompson group (16 Soi Somkit, Ploenchit, 0 2017 7268. Open daily 12:00-15:00, 17:00-23:00) with ingredients picked out from their farm in Nakhon Ratchasima Expect deconstructive techniques to Thai staples, resulting in mind-blowing creations with the state-of-the-art presentation.
In partnership with Bangkok Art Biennale