We’ve got some big fans for you art lovers: Thailand’s first-ever international contemporary art gallery has finally opened its doors, with an appropriately beautiful building for some pretty stunning art.
Dib Bangkok opened its doors on December 21. Located inside a disused 1980s warehouse, the gallery is the brainchild of Purat ‘Chang’ Osathanugrah, a businessman and art collector. His vision was brought to life by architect Kulapat Yantrasast, who worked to turn the building from a grey industrial site into a state-of-the-art exhibition space that’s now a work of art in its own right.
The gallery’s collection spans more than seven decades and multiple continents. There’s, of course, loads of Thai art featured throughout, but they sit side-by-side with international works from across the world in an effort to ‘[create] a home where diverse voices in art can meet, resonate, and inspire’.
The 7000 square-foot gallery space is an essential part of the experience. Yantrasast’s design has been meticulously thought through to give visitors plenty of room to really take in the works that they’ve come to see, and intimate walkways give way to wide open, glass-walled rooms, meaning that the light, and the viewing experience as a whole, naturally shifts throughout the day.
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Dib Bangkok’s mission is to offer those passing through a ‘meditative space’ where people can ‘pause, reflect, and enjoy the present moment’. This is woven into every aspect of its creation, even including its name: ‘dib’ translates to ‘raw’ or ‘natural’ in English. The materials used in its construction – concrete, glass, steel, etc – are neutral-toned, and combine with the ‘soft’ lighting to create a backdrop that doesn’t distract from the art.
Right now, the biggest attraction is ‘Straight Up’, a structure designed by James Turrell. The American artist is known for creating installations that focus on playing with light and space, and this is his first full-scale work in Thailand.
The sculpture features two rooms, including a signature Turrell ‘Skyspace’, which is a circular room with a single window pointing towards the sky. In fact, it’s a big year for Turrell, as he also just opened up the world’s largest skyspace in Denmark – read more about that here.
Dib Bangkok is open Thursday – Monday each week, and you can book your tickets here.
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