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Chiang Mai, Thailand's green and pleasant northern city near the intersection of Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand — Southeast Asia's "Golden Triangle" — has been a hot spot for travelers for generations for its walled city of temples, massage parlors and mystical mountain basin setting. But it's not all elephant rides and cooking classes anymore; a new influx of tourism has catalyzed the regional melting pot of cultures into a new and flourishing arts scene, with galleries and cafe culture blooming all over, from the Ping River in the east to Nimmanhaemin Road in the west. ArtInfo gives you the lowdown on six of the best, as well as essential intel for spending a few days immersed in Chiang Mai's burgeoning art scene.
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A private gallery that resembles a traditional style detached home, Panisa was started by the Chindasilpa family and promotes affordable works by living artists, with five to six exhibitions per year. Its last, “Woodcut Printmaking 2000-2012 by Chaiya Wannalert,” featured dreamy landscape works reminiscent of Claude Monet and more abstract psychedelic takes on nature ranging from very large to very small framed works. The gallery also holds art classes for children age 5-12 that run for two hours per session on weekends, or 3 hours for adults.
189 Mahidol Road
+66 53 202 779
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Hidden down a maze of backstreet sois (lanes), iBerry scoops up seasonally made ice cream with dozens of fruit-based options at the back of a sizeable garden-cum-sculpture park. Try combinations like the rich Rock ‘n’ Roll Waffle or simply sample ice-cream flavors like creamy corn, guava, or black sesame. Low tables and puffed up, comfy chairs are ideal for an extended ponder of the elephant-sized yellow dog sculpture out front, a gas-masked guard statue by the gates, and delightfully romantic hand-made hanging lamps in the trees.
Nimmanhaemin Road Soi 17
+66 53 895 181
Photo by Robert Michael Poole
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Taking both its name and artistic focus from a region of southern Myanmar (Burma), Suvannabhumi Art exclusively exhibits works from that region's artists, including native Mon peoples. The gallery’s current exhibition is dedicated to Tin Maung Oo, a prolific painter who was previously a guest of the 2000 exhibition of the ASEAN Art Awards and has frequently had his cubist-leaning work shown in Singapore.
116 Chareonraj Road.
+66 810 315 309
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Opposite the Wat Phrasing temple, HQ is home to a 700-year-old local tradition of paper-making that uses special mulberry and bamboo art paper. It displays a wide range of contemporary paintings all utilizing the ancient paper. Enter through a decorative wooden archway surrounded by bikes to find contemporary woodcuts, acrylics, and oils selected from an estimated 1,500 practicing art students and 1,000 independent artists living in Chiang Mai.
3/31 Samlan Road, Tambon Phrasing
+66 53 814 717
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Chiang Mai's most community-oriented gallery, Sangdee complements its slate of local and international artists with workshops, live music, and networking events as well as film screenings and its own café. With an active Facebook community, it holds open mic nights on Thursday. The gallery often showcases new artists like Sofia Ying whose otherwordly and abstract exhibition “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will run through February.
5 Sirimankhalajam Soi 5
+66 53 894 955
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STAY: Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai
James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon provided the origin for the utopian lamasery of Shangri-La, a fictional paradise of relaxation. And at Shangri-La Hotel Chiang Mai you can step in to for real. Located close to the night bazaar, the palace-like hotel mixes colonial design with local Thai style and artworks and sculptures throughout.
EAT: Khao Soy at Deck1
Deck 1’s terrace over the Ping river is illuminated by tree lanterns at night, a setting that laps up a cool breeze over outdoor sofas. Where better to try Khao Soi, rice noodles soaked in a soup curry of coconut milk with added chicken and a crispy egg noodle topping.
SEE: Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep
This hilltop temple is the city’s finest, located 15 km out with stunning panoramic views. Legend has it that a white elephant carrying a shoulder bone of Buddha climbed up here to die, leading King Nu Naone of the Lanna Kingdown to build a now stunning gold-covered shrine, surrounded by ornate fen-roofed temples.
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Forget the elephant rides and cooking classes — a flourishing gallery scene presents a new reason to visit Thailand's northern tourist hub.
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