Bangkok Art Biennale returns to Venice with expanded maritime-themed exhibition
The Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) Foundation will be back in Venice this spring, bringing the exhibition “The Spirits of Maritime Crossing 2026” to Palazzo Rocca Contarini Corfù from May 9 to August 2.
This second exhibition, which features 20 artists from Southeast Asia and Europe, double the number in its inaugural edition at Palazzo Menghi in 2024, focuses on migration, environmental vulnerability, and cultural memory, drawing parallels between Venice and Bangkok as cities historically shaped by water.
Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda, Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director of the Bangkok Art Biennale, said the project aims to establish sustained international visibility for artists from Southeast Asia.
“The first edition tested the response,” he said at the exhibition’s press launch. “This second edition is about continuity and long-term presence.”
Participating artists come from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Serbia, and Ireland. The exhibition was developed in collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
Among the key works is Marina Abramović’s Sea Punishing, which references the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and addresses themes of trauma and displacement.
The project is accompanied by a film produced with performers in Bangkok, reflecting on migration and memory.
Several artists engage directly with water as both subject and metaphor. Martha Atienza presents an underwater film merging Catholic ritual with maritime procession, while Ong Kian Peng uses AI-generated imagery to imagine Singapore submerged by rising seas.
Ong said his work examines “possible futures shaped by ecological pressure and adaptation.”
Ancestral heritage and cultural transmission form another major thread. Tcheu Siong incorporates Hmong cosmologies into large-scale embroidered works, while Sornchai Phongsa explores Mon ancestral rituals and identity through painting.
Other participating artists include Nadiah Bamadhaj, Le Hien Minh, Soe Yu Nwe, and Parada Wiratsawee, whose works address post-war memory, mythology, and environmental distress.
Torlarp Larpjaroensook’s sculptural series Spiritual Spaceship Orbit draws on his family history of migration from China to Thailand. The works reference imagined vessels used as metaphors for movement, belief, and aspiration.
Community-focused projects are represented by Arahmaiani’s participatory Flag Project and Yasmin Jaidin’s soil-based installations, developed in collaboration with academic institutions.
Amanda Coogan’s Ode to Joy – Thai Sign Language (2024), created with Thai youths with hearing disabilities, is also included as part of the broader programme.
The exhibition is supported by Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (ThaiBev) and One Bangkok, with additional backing from regional partners including SABECO and Fraser and Neave.
Live performances during the opening period feature opera, traditional dance, and vocal works from participating regions. Organisers said the programme reflects the exhibition’s emphasis on cross-cultural exchange and shared ecological concerns.
The Spirits of Maritime Crossing 2026 positions Venice as a platform for dialogue between Southeast Asia and Europe, using contemporary art to address environmental uncertainty, migration, and cultural continuity.