29 November 2025 to 30 April 2026
Thailand Biennale Phuket 2025 is a national contemporary art biennial set across Phuket, featuring Thai and international artists under the theme “Eternal [Kalpa],” which explores long-timescale relations between humans and nature and encourages sustainable cultural tourism. The edition is scheduled to run from November 2025 to April 2026, with program activity across multiple districts and outdoor/indoor venues on the island.
Origins and History of Biennales
The biennale format originated in 1895 with the Venice Biennale, established as the “International Art Exhibition of the City of Venice”. Mayor Riccardo Selvatico conceived this exhibition to honour the silver anniversary of King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy. The inaugural event attracted over 224,000 visitors and featured artists from 14 countries.
The term “biennale” derives from the Italian word meaning “every two years”. Venice’s success established the biennial format as the standard for recurring international contemporary art exhibitions. The exhibition became increasingly international during the early 20th century, with Belgium installing the first national pavilion in 1907.
The Venice model inspired global proliferation of biennales throughout the 20th century. Major exhibitions emerge,d including the São Paulo Biennial (1951) and documenta in Kassel (1955). Today, hundreds of biennales operate worldwide, forming the structural foundation of contemporary art’s international exhibition system.
Thailand Biennale: Rotating International Contemporary Art Exhibition
The Thailand Biennale stands as the country’s premier international contemporary art exhibition. The Office of Contemporary Art and Culture under Thailand’s Ministry of Culture organises this rotating festival that moves between different provinces for each edition.
Thailand’s approach differs from traditional biennials by changing locations rather than staying in one city. Previous editions took place in Krabi (2018) under the theme “Edge of the Wonderland,” Nakhon Ratchasima (2021) with “Butterflies Frolicking on the Mud,” and Chiang Rai (2023) featuring “The Open World. Each edition attracted millions of visitors and generated substantial economic benefits.
The fourth edition, Thailand Biennale Phuket 2025, runs from November 2025 to April 2026 under the theme “Eternal Kalpa”.
Theme and Direction
- Theme: Eternal [Kalpa] — focusing on human, nature relationships, technology, resource use, and the consequences of human-centric systems.
- Aim: Promote art and sustainable tourism; position Phuket as a city of art alongside its UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy status.
- Leadership: Artistic direction cites David Teh, with curatorial perspectives addressing ecology, technology, and coexistence.
Dates and Duration - Public program timeframe: November 2025–April 2026.
- Social announcement: 29 Nov 2025–30 Apr 2026.
Venues and Areas – Where to See the Art in Phuket
Thailand Biennale Phuket runs from 29 November 2025 to 30 April 2026. The fourth edition of this contemporary art exhibition features over 60 artists across historic, natural, and civic spaces around the island. The theme is “Eternal [Kalpa],” exploring relationships between humans and nature through installations, sculptures, performances, and interactive works.
The Thailand Biennale is organised by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture. Previous editions took place in Krabi (2018), Nakhon Ratchasima (2021), and Chiang Rai (2023). The 2025 Phuket edition spreads across multiple districts, with 19 venues around the island.
The theme “Eternal [Kalpa]” draws from Hindu-Buddhist concepts of cosmic time. Artistic directors Arin Rungjang and David Teh, with curators Marisa Phandharakrajadej and Hera Chan, commissioned 50 new works for this edition.
Venues We Visited
Not all venues are created equal. Some are quick stops, while others take half a day. There are 19 venues scattered across the island, and we’re visiting them gradually. Below are the ones we’ve seen so far, and we’ll add more as we go.
Sukko Pavilion – Four-Region Sala
Sukko Pavilion is a new art space created for the Thailand Biennale 2025, located at a wellness resort in Chalong. It has four open-air salas (traditional pavilions) representing Thailand’s four regions: North, Northeast, South, and Central. Each sala shows art reflecting that region’s culture. The Northern Sala (Lanna), for example, brings Lanna art and heritage to Phuket.
The main exhibition space is Sukko Hall. The highlight is “The Wheel of Eternal Serenity,” a collection of over 100 artworks by Thai artists including National Artists from all four regions, curated by Asst. Prof. Worraphop Tantinanthakul. This is one of the larger Biennale venues and worth spending time at.
Saphan Hin Park & Mangrove Walkway
Saphan Hin is a public park on the waterfront of Phuket Town, with open lawns, walkways, and sea views. During the Biennale, large sculptures and installations are placed along the shoreline and open spaces. Many pieces reflect Phuket’s connection to the sea and the theme of time passing.
Next to the park, the Saphan Hin Mangrove Walkway is a wooden path through a mangrove forest. The artworks here are more discreet, blending with the environment. Some focus on conservation or the natural cycles of the mangroves. A slower, more reflective experience than the open park.
The park and walkway together form one coastal venue. You can see the open-air installations by the water, then continue into the shaded mangroves.
Napas Art Gallery
Established in 2013 by Phuket-based artists Soon Papan and Juffy Joob. A small studio and gallery space with original paintings and sculptures. You can often meet and talk with the artists directly.
Kathu Museum
Kathu Museum – Former Kathu Liquor Distillery, Excise Department consists of three buildings managed by the Kathu Municipality (amphoe), including the heritage-listed former distillery built in the “Sino-European” style for Tan Lim Yong, a prominent Hokkien-Chinese mine owner and businessman. By the small reservoir stands an imposing banyan tree, said to be the domain of local spirits who cursed attempts to redevelop the site. For the Biennale, the distillery hosts works that examine the political, spiritual and material cultures that formed around extractive industries like mining and forestry.
Phra Aram Sakhonkhet Mansion
A historic Sino-Portuguese house in Phuket Old Town. Once home to a wealthy tin mining family, later used as a Thai Airways office. Now renovated as a heritage building.
For the Biennale, installations are displayed in two halls and a courtyard on the side of the mansion. You can’t enter the mansion itself, unfortunately. The exhibition focuses on Phuket’s history and diverse culture through sculptures and multimedia works.
The Society
The Society is a lifestyle and community space near Bang Tao Beach with cafés, galleries, and small shops. Open layout with clean architecture.
For the Biennale, installations are placed both indoors and in outdoor areas. The displays tend to focus on modern life and design, giving this venue a lighter feel than the heritage sites in town. You can explore the artworks while moving between cafés. An easy stop if you’re staying in Bang Tao or Cherng Talay.
Thai Hua Museum
One of the most beautiful Sino-Portuguese buildings in Phuket Town. Once a Chinese-language school, now a museum about the island’s Chinese heritage. Bright white façade and airy interior.
For the Biennale, installations are placed in classrooms and galleries, often linking local history with the theme of time and memory. Quieter atmosphere than the outdoor venues. A good place to explore at an easy pace while seeing one of Phuket’s most important heritage buildings.
Central Phuket
“Landfill brings viewers face-to-face with traces of transformation through industrial history, mining history, and Phuket’s tourism. The artist creates sculptural works assembled from recycled aluminium sheets cast from metal scrap, paired with stones from collapsed factories, formed into shapes resembling both ancient artefacts and fragments from a future world. Metal surfaces and stone bear the scars of resource extraction and consumption, yet still shimmer and reflect light. This signifies new birth amidst decay.”
“The work reveals how these remnants exist in the viewer’s sight. Landfill becomes a doorway to history, layered and challenging the dream image of ‘Paradise Island’ that encompasses awareness about Phuket. The work is paired with a video documenting garbage at Saphan Hin, opening space for viewers to confront garbage piles, scars, and industrial wounds. It invites viewers to imagine the landscape and reflect on Phuket as a space caught between resources, labour, and today’s environmental crisis.”
Thailand Biennale Map
Read more about Thailand Biennale Phuket 2025-2026
The Thailand Biennale, Phuket 2025 will run from November 2025 to April 2026. Those interested in learning more can visit:
🌐 www.thailandbiennale.org
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/thailandbiennale
📞 Ministry of Culture Hotline: 1765
Read more about Thailand Biennale Phuket 2025
