Chiang Rai Black House

 Black House

Chiang Rai appears at first to be an unexciting, provincial city but we discovered that it is actually a remarkable centre of cutting-edge creativity. Chalermchai Kositpipat’s White Temple and Thawan Duchanee’s Black House combine Thai traditions with contemporary ideas in a unique way.

The city’s art scene is growing and we noticed many signs to artist studios on the outskirts of town as part of the Cultural Bureau’s Artist Open House initiative. Take the time to explore and you’ll discover that Chiang Rai has more to offer than first impressions suggest.

The Black House (Baan Dam) is located 10km north of Chiang Rai at Moo 13, Tambon Nang Lae, Ban Dhu. It can be difficult to find and English signage is limited. If you follow these directions carefully you should be fine though. It’ll be easier with your own transport or in a taxi.

Follow Highway 1 north of Chiang Rai and look out for the University. 2km past the University keep an eye out on the left for a purple sign with the name Thawan Duchanee. 100m past that there is a brown wooden sign with 13 on it (for Moo 13), go left here and follow the road until you get to a blue sign with four places on it written in Thai. Turn left here and look for the Black House a little further along on the left.

The Black House is open from 9am to 12pm and from 1pm to 5pm every day. Entry is free.

Black House (Baan Dam in Thai) to the White Temple. At first they seem like exact opposites – the White Temple is south of Chiang Rai, a gleaming white vision of heaven, and a popular tourist attraction. The Black House is north of the city, dark and full of death, and is far less well known. But both were created by Chiang Rai natives, both artists with ambitious visions. The White Temple is Chalermchai Kositpipat’s masterpiece, and the Black House is the estate of Thawan Duchanee – both projects are ongoing and will take decades of work before the artists are satisfied they are complete. Both are unique creations unlike anything else we’ve seen.

 black house. The Black House is not just one house, but an estate with numerous buildings, big and small, mostly of wood and mostly black. A few of them are locked, but most are open and freely accessable. They contain many curious objects, among them many buffalo horns, animal skins and bones, shells, wood-carvings and benches shaped from one piece of wood. The estate is owned by famous Thai artist Thawan Duchanee, born in 1939, who studied art in the Netherlands. His grotesque and erotic paintings have been exhibited in may countries and evidently made him a well-to-do man. 

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