A painting of a gust of wind, music inspired by memories of summer, the warm scent of herbal medicines. The artworks in this exhibition ask: how do we remember what is dear to us, yet invisible?

As Dib Bangkok’s inaugural show,(In)visible Presence honors the countless individuals—some of whom have passed away—who transformed this museum from a dream on the horizon into reality. Drawing from a collection shaped over three decades and expanded through new collaborations, the exhibition brings together 80 works by 40 contemporary artists, many showing in Thailand for the first time. Through sound, scent, light, and unconventional materials, the artworks enable us to sense what cannot be seen.

Spanning the museum’s three floors, the exhibition follows shifting relationships between material, memory, and the unseen. Level 1 introduces artworks that transform commonplace materials into surprising forms, echoing the experimental legacy of 1960–80s movements like arte povera and their enduring influence. Level 2 brings together works that drift between memory and imagination, with altered diaries and salvaged objects evoking the stories we hold but rarely speak. Level 3 includes a feature display of artist Montien Boonma, whose monumental installations using scent and negative space offer a path toward healing. Taken together, the exhibition offers us a moment to attune to the invisible forces that move through us and remind us of who we are today.

The Opening of Dib Bangkok, Thailand

On December 21, 2025, Bangkok, Thailand, Dib Bangkok opens to the public today, marking the arrival of the first international contemporary art museum in Bangkok and the first in Thailand to present its own world-class collection of contemporary art from around the globe.

Conceived by the late Petch Osathanugrah and brought to reality by his son Purat (Chang) Osathanugrah, Dib Bangkok is set within a 1980s adaptive-reuse warehouse redesigned by Kulapat Yantrasast of WHY Architecture in collaboration with Thailand-based international architectural design firm Architects 49 (A49). Its inaugural exhibition, titled (In)visible Presence, on view through August 3, 2026, brings together significant Thai and international contemporary artworks for a multisensory exploration of memory and the unseen, curated by Ariana Chaivaranon under the artistic direction of inaugural Director, Dr. Miwako Tezuka.

Dib Bangkok’s Founding Chairman Purat (Chang) Osathanugrah is an influential Thai business leader and educator. Following the passing of Petch Osathanugrah in 2023, Chang brought together the museum’s core team to carry forward his father’s vision, guide its transformation into a public institution, and continue to grow its world-class contemporary art collection with a strong sense of global relevance. With this expanding collection at the heart of its presentations, Dib Bangkok opens as a new international platform for creative exchange in Thailand and Southeast Asia and takes its name from the Thai word dib, meaning “raw” or “natural, authentic state,” an ethos reflected in its mission, design, and programming.

(In)visible Presence

Dib Bangkok’s grand opening exhibition, (In)visible Presence, presents key works from the museum’s collection across its expansive grounds and galleries. Designed in dialogue with the building’s architecture, (In)visible Presence forms a three-level narrative journey that reflects the idea of the past guiding us into the future. Through its unifying theme, the exhibition poses a vital question: how do we remember what is dear to us, yet invisible?

The exhibition moves in tandem with the museum’s ascending architecture: from grounded, sensory works on the first floor; intimate, memory-driven pieces on the second; to expansive, light-infused works on the third. Inside the galleries, visitors encounter major installations by Montien Boonma and Somboon Hormtientong, large-scale sculptures by Lee Bul and Anselm Kiefer, and paintings by a diverse range of artists such as Alex Katz, Yuree Kensaku, and Jessie Homer French. These are shown alongside mixed media and new media works by critically acclaimed artists from Thailand and beyond.

Extending beyond the museum walls, outdoor installations transform the landscape into an integral part of the experience. Alicja Kwade’s Pars pro Toto (2020), an installation of 11 monumental stone globes ranging from 70 to 250 cm in diameter, anchors the courtyard with a poetic meditation on planetary systems and materiality. On the upper terrace overlooking the courtyard, Pinaree Sanpitak’s Breast Stupa Topiary (2013), a series of stainless-steel forms shaped as breast-like stupas, invites reflection on femininity, spirituality, and the body, softening the hard lines of the city with a presence both tender and profound.

For many featured artists, including Sho Shibuya, Finnegan Shannon, and Hugh Hayden, (In)visible Presence marks their first presentation in Thailand, expanding a global dialogue with local artists through a shared inquiry into the conditions of human existence: ephemerality, memory, and identity.

Dib Bangkok’s permanent collection is dedicated to global contemporary art, with a focus on works that challenge perceptions, spark dialogue, and invite deep reflection on the complexities of human existence in manifold expressions. The collection comprises over 1,000 works by over 200 artists worldwide, spanning a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, large-scale installations, and new media, dating from the 1960s to the present.

On Level 1 of the Museum, Marco Fusinato’s Constellations (2015–2025) amplifies our own gestures with a sudden, body-shaking blast of sound. In Jannis Kounellis’s Untitled (1998), rolls of secondhand clothing pressed against double-bed-sized steel sheets give monumental form and weight to the textures of everyday life. Passing through the metal detector embedded in Hugh Hayden’s Untitled Threshold (After Victor Horta, After Charleston) (2019), we step into a charged question: what makes a place feel like a sanctuary?

On Level 2, The ornate columns of Somboon Homtienthong’s The Unheard Voice (1995) hold visual and intangible traces of their journey from Mae Sariang to the hands of the artist. Rebecca Horn’s The Lover’s Bed (1990) stages a dreamlike scene inspired by her surreal film, Buster’s Bedroom, in real life. Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Emerald (2007) projects dreams of faraway places onto the bed of an abandoned hotel room.

On Level 3, Der verlorene Buchstabe (2019) marks the first presentation of Anselm Kiefer’s large-scale installation work in Thailand. Shown here for the first time with all 500 bells as Montien Boonma envisioned,Lotus Sound (1992/1999–2000) resonates with silence, and Zodiac Houses (1998–1999), Montien Boonma’s final masterpiece before his passing, offers a pathway connecting us to the heavens through celestial constellations.

Looking ahead to 2026, Dib Bangkok will expand its programming with initiatives that strengthen accessibility, artistic exchange, and dialogue between Thailand, the region, and the wider world. Upcoming programs include weekly curator-led tours, new family workshops designed to build creative confidence across generations, and an international symposium on contemporary art in Southeast Asia.

Dib Bangkok will offer local and international visitors a new cultural hub in the heart of Thailand’s bustling capital, featuring an exceptional contemporary art collection, and driven by a team of ambitious experts.

Venue
111 Soi Sukhumvit 40, Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110 Thailand

Artists
40 Contemporary Artists (for full list of names please visit Dib Bangkok: (In)visible Presence)

Exhibition Dates
21 December, 2025 – 03 August, 2026

Gallery Hours
Thursday – Monday | 10 AM – 7 PM

Website
Dib Bangkok

Instagram
www.instagram.com/dibbangkok/

Contact
info@dibbangkok.org

(Text and images courtesy of Dib Bangkok Museum)