The best things to do in Bangkok this weekend

Bust out your black tie and stiffen up those upper lips. One of the country’s grandest performance festivals returns for its 23rd year with a lineup of world-class opera, symphony concerts, and stage shows from around the world.  For the 2021 edition, the festival has returned with a promising line-up of world-class performances like always. Beloved ballet Swan Lake by the Russian Multimedia Ballet Theatre is set to kick off the event on November 18, followed by Nutcracker, and other exciting shows like French cinematographic hip-hop dance Motion and opera numbers by Katherine Jenkins, Joseph Calleja, and Celine Byrne. Schedules and tickets are available now via the official website. This year, Swan Lake and Nutcracker will be broadcast live online for home viewing, and the tickets are available via zipeventapp.com.  

Thai artist Vasan Sitthiket depicts his "vision of a dream in mind while contemplating life before the end of the world". Visitors can come and witness Sitthiket's dark portrayal of an imaginary realm that invites you to ponder about human existence. 

The title of the event makes it clear: you don't have to be black to be outraged! And here at this photograph exhibition, racial injustice is revealed before your eyes as provoking artworks created by Justin Mills. Mills is inspired by four American films revolving around the issues of racism: Do the Right Thing (1989), Selma (2014), Moonlight (2016), I Am Not Your Negro (2016). He takes screenshots from these movies and inserts motivating messages in order to represent the hardship and status of black people in the today's society. "You Don’t Have to be Black to be Outraged" is open for free for the public at Kathmandu Gallery until December 28.

Hosted at the riverside hotel’s Next2 Cafe, buffet goers can now have their fill of fresh and juicy lobsters from around the world, as well as fresh seafood and house specialties such as foie gras and Peking duck. The relaunch price is now cheaper at B1,980 net (down from B2,390).

One of the most famous Thai street artists, Benzilla or Parinya Sirisinsuk will make a grandiose comeback with his well-recognized three-eyed alien LOOOK to the first exhibition in seven years at River City Bangkok at the end of November. Dubbed Midnight Call, this upcoming showcase is born out of the artist's pondering over the metaphorical nighttime wherein he is attempt to fight with all the anxieties. The exhibition will be laden with his collection of LOOOK depicted as paintings, sculptures, and art on skateboards, as well as a die-cut on a canvas which is a new art technique that Benzilla has explored for the first time.

In celebration of the completion of Jim Thompson Art Center (JTAC)'s new building after over three years of construction, the venue is finally ready to debut the first exhibition entitled Future Tense, a group showcase joined by 14 artists who come together with their artworks tackling the topic of the aftermath of the Cold War, which still resonate today. The exhibition is replete with wide-ranging collections of photography, video, media art, installations, and text-based works.

Keeyapat Katesawai has collected all his strong love for painting since childhood and finally showcased what he's capable of with the latest exhibition entitled MIRRORLISTIC at Joyman Gallery. The artist brings his collection of oil paintings that portrays famous figures from both fiction and reality like how he imagines.

A group of eight talented artists—Arin Rungjang, Mit Jai Inn, Nutdanai Jitbunjong, Nuttapon Sawasdee, Pattara Chanruechachai, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Ruangsak Anuwatwimon, Thasnai Sethaseree—takes inspiration from the current happenings in both Thailand and other countries in 2021 and depicts them all in a variety of artworks.

OBLIVION is the latest site-specific exhibition by Arin Rungjang who showcases his multidisciplinary techniques, namely, visual art, installation art, to painting with the theme of becoming in order to reflect a wide range of collective human emotions. You can read an accompanying essay on the exhibition via this link.

Central: The Original Store hosts a new exhibition, 1973, with a big collection of contemporary art by Tawan Wattuya who's inspired by nostalgic memories lain in cartoons, posters, and printings that captured the essence of pop culture and any happenings back in the titular year.