Modern Asian Art in Northern Thailand.

When you are planning to go on a holiday to Thailand, it can be a great idea to go to the north instead of the bounty islands in the south. Holidays to this beautiful country and articles about it are most of the times dominated by the Southern part of Thailand. But the North has its own charm also.
You can stay in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai or somewhere in between and because of the unspoiled character of the landscape, the North of Thailand is a Walhalla for nature lovers and active outgoing explorers like hikers and mountain bikers.

We were there just last month and we really had a wonderful time. During our stay more or less by accident we came across a site that we still talk about sometimes. On our way back from a daytrip we decided to stop at a black temple, aka 'the Black House'. At first we didn't think much about it, but as we arrived and got confronted with the 'Black Temple' it sparked our interest and we were curious to find out what the site was all about.

The 'Black Temple' is quit big actually, inside you find a lot of displays of art in a way you normally don't find in any other temple. There were big panels with wood carvings and large tables displaying skins of very large snakes.
Walking around in the 'Black Temple' and on the side you get a strong feel that everything is really meant to be a universal experience. I mean it is not only about humans, but the animal world is almost as important.

Maybe the intention of the whole site is to show the position man has or have on this planet and in the world of living entities.

On the site there are a lot more buildings to see, many serve as shrines showing different forms of art through big windows. To me passing some of the buildings gave an experience as if I were window shopping, just looking because you know you cannot buy it.

The creator of all this is Mr. Thawan Duchanee. He is well known as one of the foremost painters of Asia. At the entrance of the site there is a little shop where you can see some of his paintings on display. Looking at it you immediately notice the originality of the works. Mr. Duchanee created his work from a Buddhist perspective, in his own unique way he depicts the sometimes more darker side that can be found in the hearts of humans.
The works of Mr. Duchanee have been exhibited around the world, and he has created different custom pieces such as murals for the Royal Thai embassies in Buenos Aires, Vienna and Paris.

If you are an art lover, and then I mean modern Asian art in particular you will definitely love this place. If you are curious and want to read more about having a vacation in Thailand I like to suggest my site about Holidays to Thailand to you.