BLACK: Vibrant Multiple Light
Exhibition period: 20th June 2026 – 21st June 2027
Exhibition Opening: 27th June, 2026 | 6 PM onwards
At MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Artists
Agan Harahap, Alex Face, Ampannee Satoh, Angkrit Ajchariyasophon, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Apirak Jianpinidnun, Busui Ajaw, Chayaporn Maneesutham, Daido Moriyama, Eakarin Jaroenrat, Franklin Chow, Imhathai Suwatthanasilp, Jehabdulloh Jehsorhoh, Jiratchaya Pripwai, Kameelah I-Lala, Kamin Lertchaiprasert, Kwanchai Lichaikul, Lipikorn Makaew, Luck Maisalee, Manit Sriwanichpoom, Montien Boonma, Natee Utarit, Navin Rawanchaikul, Niti Wattuya, Phattharakorn Singthong, Pinaree Sanpitak, Prasong Luemuang, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Shane Bunnag, Somboon Hormtientong, Somluk Pantiboon, Sornchai Phongsa, Surajate Tongchua, Sureena Chema, Thawan Duchanee, Vasan Sitthiket, Viriya Chotpanyavisut, Wang Keping and Wanlop Hansunthai
The MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum proudly presents BLACK: Vibrant Multiple Light, an exhibition drawn from the museum’s collection. The exhibition features a diverse array of media—including paintings, sculptures, photography, moving images, and installation art—created by more than 39 celebrated Thai and international artists. Some of the pieces are over fifty years old, while many others are being unveiled to the public for the first time in decades. These carefully curated works serve as a profound reflection of the artistic vision and collecting interests of Jean-Michel Beurdeley, co-founder of the museum. Beurdeley has chosen pieces that hold deep personal and emotional significance, establishing a collecting philosophy that forms the crucial foundation upon which the museum’s permanent collection has been built and continues to thrive today.
When considering a color deeply embedded in the cultural imagination, “black” is often among the first to come to mind, having coexisted with human history since time immemorial. In Arthur Rimbaud’s French sonnet Voyelles (Vowels), the poem begins with “A noir” (A black), transforming a visual perception of color into a linking sound, and eventually into an emotional register. This expands the possibilities of black into a multitude of interpretations, be it black as belief, fears, desires, or values.
Within the exhibition BLACK: Vibrant Multiple Light, black manifests in various states: sometimes as a mere fraction of an image, at other times enveloping the entire space; shifting between intangible and tangible form, density and weightlessness. It occasionally functions as the very structure of a composition, or dissolves into a sensory atmosphere, creating an ambiguous space that invites viewers to peer deeper. Moving from one artwork to the next, viewers will encounter different facets of black through the interplay of light and shadow, texture and depth, presence and disappearance. Experiencing this exhibition may recall personal memories where black gradually reveals itself within the scenes of life, reminding us that BLACK is never just mere darkness, nor is it simply a background.
About MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum
MAIIAM is a new private museum of contemporary art in Thailand initiated by Jean Michel Beurdeley and his late wife Patsri Bunnag, together with their son Eric Bunnag Booth. The family wishes to share their private collection, built together over the last thirty years, to everyone so that people could see and experience for themselves how art can enrich their lives. The museum was built in memory of Eric Bunnag Booth’s great great aunt Chao Chom lam, a royal consort to King Rama V. Bolstering Chiang Mai’s already vibrant art and cultural scene, MAIIAM aims to make the co-founders’ important collections of Thai and regional contemporary art, permanently accessible to the public. The museum mounts long-term and temporary exhibitions of visual art, design, and fashion, alongside performances, films screenings, special education programs, lectures and workshops to engage a wide spectrum of audiences.
For more information
T. +66 52 081 737
E. info@maiiam.com
W. www.MAIIAM.com
FB. MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum
Entrance Fees: Adults 200 Baht, Students 100 Bath, Seniors 150 Baht, Children Under 12 free
Student groups free on Monday (advance reservation is required)
Opening hours
10 am – 6 pm
Friday – Monday
