Art exhibitions in Chiang Mai this April

A long-running survey exhibition at MAIIAM brings together over four decades of work by Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, one of Thailand’s most widely respected and exhibited contemporary artists. Curated by Kittima Chareeprasit and Roger Nelson, the exhibition spans video, installation, photography and mixed media, combining historical works with more recent commissions. Recurring motifs such as dogs, flowers, beds and fragments of text appear throughout, forming a loose thread across the exhibition. The works engage with mortality, desire and the human condition, moving between directness and ambiguity. Rather than presenting a linear narrative, the exhibition unfolds as a series of encounters, allowing viewers to move through different bodies of work at their own pace.

MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum. Ton Pao, San Kamphaeng. Wed-Mon 10am-6pm. Until May 25

At the Museum of Something (MOS) in Hang Dong, French artist Myrtille Tibayrenc presents a series of 108 Buddha paintings created as part of a recent commission. Curated by Yang Liu, each work is painted on recycled raw wood panels using minimal gestures, allowing variation to emerge across the series. The number 108 carries symbolic significance in Buddhist and Hindu traditions, often linked to the idea of earthly attachments and spiritual progression. Paintings draw from a range of visual references across Asia, including Thai, Khmer, Japanese and Indian influences. Installed in a continuous row, the exhibition encourages slow, meditative viewing.

Museum of Something (MOS). Hang Dong. 10.30am-5.30pm. Until May 30

One of Chiang Mai’s newest spaces, Haan Studio sets the tone with a raw industrial interior that foregrounds material and scale. The solo exhibition by Chatchai Notananda centres on process rather than outcome, with works that explore lived experience through painting. Themes of uncertainty, rupture and reconstruction run throughout, with compositions that shift between abstraction and landscape-like forms. Rather than aiming for resolution, the vibrant paintings sit in a space of transition where meaning is built up over time. The openness of the space allows the works to breathe, reinforcing the exhibition’s focus on process and ongoing transformation.

Haan Studio. Charoen Muang Road, Sanpakoi. 10am-6pm. Until May 12

Set inside the library at Alliance Française Chiang Mai, this self-guided exhibition presents digital works by Houda Bakkali that lean into bold colour, graphic composition and layered visual storytelling. The works combine illustration and digital collage, often built around stylised figures and symbolic elements that reference identity, communication and contemporary life. Rather than following a fixed narrative, the exhibition is designed as an open viewing experience where visitors move through the works at their own pace. The library setting adds a quieter context, contrasting with the high-saturation visuals on display. It’s a compact show, but one that’s easy to engage with, offering immediate visual clarity while still leaving room for interpretation across repeated viewings.

Alliance Française Chiang Mai Library. Charoen Prathet Road. Until May 2

This solo exhibition at Jing Jai Gallery focuses on restraint, repetition and the accumulation of small gestures. Artist Jiratchaya Pripwai’s works draw from everyday observations, translating them into textured compositions that reward slow, attentive viewing. Materials and scale remain relatively minimal, but variation builds across the exhibition, with each piece contributing to a broader rhythm within the space. Rather than presenting a single focal point, the show unfolds gradually, encouraging viewers to move closer and spend time with each work. The approach leans away from spectacle, instead focusing on nuance and subtle shifts in form and texture. It’s a quieter exhibition overall, but one that holds attention through consistency and careful pacing.

Jing Jai Gallery. Jing Jai Market, Atsadathon Road. Until July 5

This group exhibition at Déjà Gallery centres on the idea of process, with works that engage with repetition, revision and transformation. Across painting, installation and mixed media, the artists explore how forms can be built, dismantled and reconfigured over time. Some works lean into material experimentation, while others approach the theme conceptually, using layering, erasure or reconstruction as a starting point. The exhibition does not follow a single narrative, instead presenting multiple interpretations of what it means to undo and redo. As a result, the viewing experience shifts from piece to piece, with each work offering a different entry point into the theme. It’s a varied show, but one held together by its focus on process rather than final outcome.

DÉJÀ Brew Café and Gallery. Kong Sai Road, Wat Ket. 9am-5pm. Until May 22

Located on the second floor of La Luna Gallery, this group exhibition brings together works that draw from Buddhist narratives, traditional forms and contemporary practice. A key piece in the exhibition includes embossed metal panels assembled into a Phra Bot, referencing stories of past Buddhas and long-standing spiritual traditions. The process of embossing becomes part of the conceptual framework, linking physical repetition with meditation and devotion. Alongside this, other works explore related themes through material-based approaches, bridging historical reference with present-day interpretation. The exhibition moves between symbolic imagery and craft-driven techniques, offering a layered view of how spiritual subject matter continues to be reworked in contemporary art contexts.

La Luna Gallery. 2nd Floor. Charoen Rat Road, Wat Gate. 10am-5pm. Closed Mondays. Until April 19