Bangkok Art Biennale 2026 Announcement

Melanie Pocock, Artistic Director of Exhibitions at Ikon will be on the Curatorial Team for The Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) alongside Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda (Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Bangkok Art Biennale), alongside curators Adulaya Hoontrakul (Director, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre), Rémy Jarry (Lecturer, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok; Adjunct Professor, Catholic University of Paris), and Kulapat Yantrasast (Founder and Creative Director, WHY Architecture). Together, this international team will foster a platform for artistic innovation, experimentation, and critical dialogue.

The Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) will return for its fifth edition from 29 October 2026 – 28 February 2027 under the theme Angels and Mara, transforming the city into a dynamic stage for contemporary art. Organised by the Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation in collaboration with Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (ThaiBev) with the support of public and private sectors, BAB 2026 will once again bring contemporary art into Bangkok’s most iconic cultural landmarks, historic temples, heritage sites, and vibrant public spaces.

Bangkok Art Biennale 2026 proudly presents a diverse array of artists from America, Asia, and Europe, ranging from established figures to emerging talents. This includes artists Htein Lin and Mahtab Hussain & Guy Gunaratne, whose work featured in major exhibitions at Ikon in spring 2025.

Theme: Angels and Mara

As the world trembles with wars, terrorism, environmental crises, and political divides, humanity is caught within the blurred boundaries of right, wrong and in between. In this fractured reality, opposites coexist —compassion with cruelty, truth with distortion. The Bangkok Art Biennale 2026 adopts the theme Angels and Mara, exploring the tension between guardians of light and forces of temptation. Angels, from the Greek angelos meaning “divine messengers”, appear across different cultures and religions and embody hope and protection, while Mara in Buddhist cosmology represents death, desire, and the darker sides of human nature. Set in Bangkok (Krung Thep, the City of Angels), a city long celebrated as the Venice of the East and the Land of Smiles, BAB 2026 becomes a stage for artists from Thailand and around the world to reflect on the struggles, contradictions, and resilience of our time.

The biennale transforms Bangkok into a city of art, exhibiting works across an extraordinary range of venues. From contemporary cultural hubs, such as the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) and the visionary urban development One Bangkok, to the city’s most revered heritage sites and temples: Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan (Temple of Dawn or Wat Arun); Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan (Temple of the Reclining Buddha or Wat Pho); Wat Prayurawongsawat Worawihan (Temple of Iron Fences or Wat Prayoon), the biennale brings contemporary art into dialogue with centuries of tradition. Exhibitions will also take place at Museum Siam, National Museum and National Gallery, Thailand’s leading centres of history and culture, where royal treasures and sacred artefacts provide a striking backdrop for today’s artistic voices. By bridging modern and historical locations, sacred and urban spaces, BAB 2026 sparks fresh perspectives and meaningful encounters between the past and the present.