Photos of Thailand's first international contemporary art museum revealed

International studio WHY Architecture has released images of the Dib Bangkok museum, which it claims will be "Thailand's first museum dedicated to international contemporary art".

Set to open in Bangkok in December 2025, the 71,000-square-foot (6,596-square-metres) museum will be housed in a 1980s warehouse renovated by WHY Architecture and crowned with a sawtooth roof.

Once open, the museum will showcase both Thai and international contemporary art intended to serve as "a bridge between Thailand and the global arts scene".

"Dib Bangkok is Thailand’s first major museum dedicated to international contemporary art," the studio said.

The institution was founded by Thai businessman Purat Osathanugrah, in honour of his late father Petch Osathanugrah, whose collection of artworks will compose Dib Bangkok's collection.

"Bangkok, with all its energy, creativity, and unstoppable spirit, has long been overdue for an anchor to its contemporary art scene that matches its vibrancy," Osathanugrah said.

"We're building Dib Bangkok to be a true creative oasis, a bridge between Thailand, Southeast Asia, and the global art scene."

Containing 11 galleries, the three-storey museum is flanked at ground level by a spacious, tiled courtyard where a curved staircase leads up to a raised walkway.

The building's largely-concrete structure was completed with an entirely glazed ground floor, while its more discrete upper levels are punctuated with protruding windows.

Additional spaces include the Chapel, a distinctive cone-shaped gallery, which is complete with a mosaic-tiled exterior and a skylight, and sits among a water feature.

A similarly rounded "penthouse" structure, which will be used for hosting events, sits atop the museum's roof and is accessed via an external staircase.

According to the studio, the museum's minimalist design draws on the Buddhist concept of enlightenment – intended to welcome visitors into an "austere, concrete" ground floor ahead of its "contemplative" upper floors.

Photos revealed ahead of its opening reveal moody gallery interiors divided by concrete columns on the ground floor, while a set of entirely-white gallery spaces lit by the roof's openings occupy the second floor.

The museum's inaugural exhibition opening later this year will feature works from its own collection under the theme of Invisible Presence.

This opening show will also include installations by Thai artist Montien Boonma and large-scale sculptures by international artists Lee Bul, Anselm Kiefer and Alicia Kwade, among others.

"With Dib Bangkok, WHY Architecture's intent was to reflect the city's evolving role as an international art destination, crafting a space that fosters dialogue among artists, curators, and the public, while supporting both community engagement and creative exchange," studio founder Kulapat Yantrasast said.

WHY Architecture is an international studio founded in 2004 by Yantrasast, operating out of Los Angeles, New York, Bangkok and Paris.

Elsewhere, Kaan Architecten completed the Eco-Museum as part of a lagoon remediation in Brazil and Atelier Apeiron topped an arched cultural centre with a terraced roof garden in China.

The renders are courtesy of WHY Architecture.

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