The Bangkok Art Biennale announced today that seventy-five artists from thirty-three countries will participate in its inaugural edition, which will take place from October 19, 2018 to February 3, 2019.

The exhibition will revolve around the theme of “beyond bliss.” According to Apinan Poshyananda, the chief executive and artistic director of the biennial, people today live in a state of “fear, protest, and delusion,” and the biennial will provide artists with a platform through which they can confront contemporary issues such as political tensions, migration, globalization, pollution, and climate change.

The exhibition will be presented at various venues across the city, including landmark buildings such as the East Asiatic Company building, the Oriental Hotel, the Bangkok Art and Culture Center, the Bank of Thailand Learning Center, and the Central Embassy, as well as historic sites and outdoor spaces such as Wat Pho (Temple of Reclining Buddha), Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), Wat Prayoon (Temple of Iron Fence), Lumpini Park, and others along Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River.

Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi, the CEO and president of ThaiBev and the cofounder of the biennial, said: “We are delighted with the artists that have been brought together by our curatorial team. We believe Bangkok will be a destination for the Thai and international art world to share a memorable experience.”

The artists chosen to participate in the Bangkok Art Biennale were selected by an advisory committee comprised of Poshyananda; Alexandra Munroe, a senior curator of Asian art and a senior advisor at Global Arts; the British curator and writer David Stuart Elliott; Eugene Tan, the director of the National Gallery Singapore; Nanjo Fumio, the director of the Mori Art Museum; Nigel Hurst, the CEO of Saatchi Gallery in London; the artist Rirkrit Tiravanija; and Sunjung Kim, the president of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation. The list of artists is as follows:

Marina Abramović & Mai (Former Yugoslavia & US)

AES+F (Russia)

Chumpon Apisuk (Thailand)

Art Labor (Vietnam)

Aurèle (France)

Jean-Michel Basquiat (US)

Montien Boonma (Thailand)

Canan (Turkey)

Paolo Canevari (Italy)

Patipat Chaiwitesh (Thailand)

Anupong Charoenmitr (Thailand)

Kray Chen (Singapore)

Choi Jeong Hwa (South Korea)

Francesco Clemente (Italy)

Heri Dono (Indonesia)

Elmgreen & Dragset (Denmark & Norway)

Sara Favriau (France)

Gauri Gill (India)

Fiona Hall (Australia)

Tul Hirunyalawan (Thailand)

Ho Tzu Nyen (Singapore)

Hooptam Laos-Thai (Laos/Thailand)

Huang Yong Ping (France/China)

Tao Hui (China)

Sriwan Janehattakankit (Thailand)

Eisa Jocson (Philippines)

Mark Justiniani (Philippines)

Shigeyuki Kihara (New Zealand)

Pichet Klunchun (Thailand)

Latthapon Korkiatarkul (Thailand)

Samak Kosem (Thailand)

Sakarin Krue-On (Thailand)

Yayoi Kusama (Japan)

Torlarp Larpjaroensook (Thailand)

Nge Lay (Myanmar)

Lee Bul (Korea)

Firoz Mahmud (Bangladesh)

Moelyono (Indonesia)

Musalimah (Thailand)

Yoshitomo Nara (Japan)

Krit Ngamsom (Thailand)

Arnont Nongyao (Thailand)

Numen For Use Design Collective (Austria/Croatia)

Anneè Olofsson (Sweden)

Sherman Ong (Malaysia)

Kamol Phaosavasdi (Thailand)

Sunanta Phasomwong (Thailand)

Sornchai Phongsa (Thailand)

Wisut Ponnimit (Thailand)

Jittima Ponsawek (Thailand)

Sanitas Pradittasnee (Thailand)

Tawatchai Puntusawasdi (Thailand)

Angki Purbandono (Indonesia)

Kata Sangkhae (Thailand)

Nino Sarabutra (Thailand)

Marc Schmitz (Germany)

Jakkai Siributr (Thailand)

Lim Sokchalina (Cambodia)

Jitsing Somboon (Thailand)

Souled Out Studios (Thailand/UK/South Africa)

Andrew Stahl (UK)

Joscha Steffens (Germany)

Phaptawan Suwannakudt (Thailand)

Imhathai Suwatthanasilp (Thailand)

Komkrit Tepthian (Thailand)

Ralf Tooten (Germany)

Nopchai Ungkavatanapong (Thailand)

Natee Utarit (Thailand)

Dujdao Vadhanapakorn (Thailand)

Joana Vasconcelos (Portugal)

Kawita Vatanajyankur (Thailand)

Dao Wasiksiri (Thailand)

Yan Pei-Ming (China)

Pannapan Yodmanee (Thailand)

Yuan Goang Ming (Taiwan)