Bangkok Biennale 2020, Escape Routes - my favorite seven pieces of art

I spent December traveling around Northern Thailand, going to art galleries and exploring, but I couldn't stop thinking about the Bangkok Biennale, which ends in a few weeks (January 31st). While traveling, I met many people who wanted to engage in various topics, my favorite being the art scene in Bangkok (which is totally fabulous). I found myself sharing my favorite pieces from the Biennale over and over again, so much so, that I created a folder to refrain from endlessly scrolling each time. So dear readers, it's my turn to share them with you! 

Escape Routes, the theme of this year's Biennale, brings artists together to explore the mess we've made and how to get out of it. Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda, the artistic director, says, "Moreover, they will offer art practice as mind escapism where meditation, contemplation, ritualism, healing and performance become the essence of hope and optimism." 

And really, I can't think of a better way to describe art than mind escapism. When I go to an exhibition, I want to get lost in the artists' thoughts, be transported, feel new sensations, and I certainly want it to be memorable. I love telling people about different exhibitions and pieces of art I've seen throughout my life. 

My absolute favorite piece from this Biennale is Invisible World, 2020, by Thai artist Uttaporn Nimmalaikaew, located inside Wat Pho (Wat is the Thai word for temple). The fluidity is truly mesmerizing. With each soft wisp of wind, the delicate fabric transforms, breathing life into painted portraits as they meditate in this historical site. I love how the gentle layers build upon each other creating depth and bringing awareness to the practice of Buddhism, meditation, and stillness. It's a peaceful experience in a sacred space.     

Wat Pho is open from 8-6:30 pm, seven days a week. It’s a four-minute walk from MRT Sanam Chai, exit 1. It's 200b for foreigners to enter. If not dressed appropriately they will give you something to cover your legs or shoulders. Also, don't miss the Anish Kapoor piece located here as well. 

Linked here is another article I wrote about the things you can do in the area to have an unforgettable art day. I would have included Anish Kapoor's Sky Mirror on this list located at Wat Arun, but unfortunately, they have closed due to Covid. I recommend grabbing a drink or snack at a rooftop restaurant along the river opposite Wat Arun to experience the beauty that is Sky Mirror from a distance after you visit my favorite piece in the Biennale.

BACC (Bangkok Arts and Culture Center) is one of the best places to appreciate the arts in Bangkok. It's ten floors of art, performances, films, lectures, music, theater, arts education, cafes, crafty boutiques, a few commercial galleries, and a book shop located in the heart of the city. Find BACC where the Skytrains meet, weaving into each other, like electric threads in a city blanket. 

You can easily spend 3 hours exploring this building, but the two pieces that I can’t stop talking about are playful, fun, and interactive. 

Peep!, 2020, by Thai photographer, Charit Pusiri, can only be described as playful voyeurism. Set up in a circular neighborhood, this community of peep show boxes divulges secrets from a range of characters. On the side of the box, you'll find a journal to jot down the story of what you think is happening. Is it a curious boy caught reading pornographic magazines…or? Is she the muse of a painter…or? Is she gardening, burying a lover, or digging up long lost treasure? Tell me, what do you see? 

Pusiri says, "Being nosey is an inborn human trait. Because we are social creatures, it is in our genes to want to know about the lives of others. People are always curious about something that is hidden, a kept secret, or something they want to see but cannot be seen. When the curiosity reaches a certain point, that's when we tend to start prying." 

Tucked away behind a black wall on the basement floor you'll find Classroom, 2020, by Argentine artist Leandro Erlich. Upon entering the dimly lit room, you'll see tables, chairs, and chalkboards with Thai characters and English letters. I love the little details such as chalk residue left behind after erasing, and stubborn paper that didn't easily peel off the wall, reminding me of the silly choices I’ve made in my classroom. You know, the wrong type of sticky tack pulls chunks of paint off the wall, and the wrong kind of clear packaging tape destroys floors. Oh dear, tell me I'm not the only one who has learned the hard way? 

But the reason this piece made my list is because of the reflection in the two-way mirror placing you inside the classroom. I'm pretty sure I let out a joyful little squeal when I realized what was happening. Then, I played studious student, bored student, sleepy student, and the all-powerful, inspiring superhero, The Teacher!  

This installation would make an even better photo if you went with friends, your family, or a little group of kids! Be sure to wear your mask to document school life in a pandemic. (They won't let you walk around without your mask, and will reprimand you if your nose is not covered, thanks BACC, for doing your part to keep us healthy!)

BACC is free and open from 10 am - 7 pm, closed on Mondays. The entrance is connected to BTS National Stadium Station via the 3rd floor. I highly recommend hanging out in front of the huge windows to watch the Skytrains, which have entertained me for hours…on multiple occasions! I challenge you to get a video of all four Skytrains moving at the same time. Here’s my attempt!

Nestled up against the window on the 15th floor, protected by fierce crocodiles and overlooking skyscrapers, you'll find a most thought-provoking piece, The World is Directed by Karma, 2020, by Thai artist Thaiwijit Puengkasemsomboon. On the walls of a room made from canvas hang grave issues that plague society today. Toxic headlines, preventable catastrophes, consequences of a warming planet overwhelm you with grief and despair. My wish is that viewers leave this piece wanting to be better, to do better, so our beautiful world doesn't turn into the bleak and barren landscape predicted in this sullen installation. 

Puengkasemsomboon is known for giving new life to waste materials and for bringing awareness to recycling issues. Do you recycle? My building is terrific. We have different bins for everything, including food waste composting bins that I believe (hope) they use for the rooftop garden!  

The PARQ open every day from 10 am - 8 pm, is easily accessible via MRT Queen Sirikit. It's free and should take about 90 minutes to see the 25 artworks. 

Finally, we reach the last venue, BAB Box @One Bangkok, which personally was the most interesting to me. I love photography, and there are about 7-9 photography exhibitions here, two of which made my list. 

When I was a student I had grand dreams of becoming a documentary photographer, raising awareness on social concerns, or telling stories of fascinating people. Below Three Feet, 2019, by Burmese photographer Kaung Swan Thar, moved me immensely. Next to the Yangon Train Station in Myanmar are ten-feet-wide, three-feet-high rooms under stairwells that house low-income families. My heart broke as each photo transported me to a new level of poverty.

There I sat in disbelief, in the ten-feet-wide, three-feet high space constructed behind the photographs, wondering how I was blessed with so much and others with so little. I joke about my tiny apartment in the sky (27 sqm/290sqft), but with all seriousness, this exhibition is quite humbling, reminding us to graciously give gratitude for modern plumbing, windows, light, and a space in which we can physically stand up. 

By German photographer Julia Fullerton-Batten, A Testament to Love, 2013, lights up the first-floor hallway with sensational colors and a luminous cinematic feel. Sharp lines combined with perfect details give these vintage-inspired photographs a glamorous, albeit dangerous vibe. 

"Who are you? From where did you come? Where are you going? How can I help you?" are some of the questions I desire to ask the women in these glossy prints. They evoke a kind of fleeting urgency, the need for women to unite and halt whatever evil forces are hiding in the emptiness that lurks beyond the splash of vibrant colors. 

Basically…I love them! They are passionate, perfectly composed, and so stylish. 

This last piece is included because it's educational, eccentric, and raises environmental awareness. Respiratory Event (vapour whale), 2020, by Kiwi artist Dane Mitchell is located on the rooftop and easy to miss if you don't know it's there. The artist has essentially made a mixture of synthetic and natural ambergris and has liberally unleashed the scent into the Bangkok atmosphere. Ambergris is found in sperm whale poop and has been used in fragrances dating back to ancient times. It's solid and waxy in texture, sweet and musky in odor, and the most expensive perfume ingredient. Luckily a synthetic has been created so endangered sperm whales can rest easy.

Honestly flabbergasted. What possessed ancient perfumer makers to use this material in the first place? I mostly stopped wearing perfume a few years ago because of toxic chemicals. I've had one bottle for years but rarely put it on. Now I'd much rather wear natural oils, and since becoming plant-based I only buy vegan beauty products, not tested on animals.

According to the Biennale website, "Mitchell's gesture of releasing the scent into the city of Bangkok creates the condition for an alchemic interaction of molecules in the air around us and offers an experience of a phenomenological moment where invisible forces penetrate and extend into space to touch us in ways both physical and poetically charged."

BAB Box @One Bangkok is open from 10 am to 8 pm but closed on Tuesday. It’s a three-minute walk from MRT Lumpini station, exit 3. It's free and should take about an hour to see the 25 exhibitions. 

The 2020 Bangkok Biennale is fantastic. Most of these FREE places are open late, and you still have three weeks to see it all. Don't miss your chance! Thanks for reading my second article about the Biennale; check out the first one if you'd like an easy map to locate all of the Anish Kapoor pieces.

Enjoy this mind escape from reality, and share your favorite pieces below. If you like this article, please follow me on Instagram.