Chiang Rai: White Temple, Art Bridge and Black House tour
- Duration
- 4 Hours
- Prices:
- On request
You will be picked up from your hotel in Chiang Rai for your half day tour. First stop is the Wat Rong Kun, perhaps better known as the White Temple, which is a contemporary, unconventional, privately-owned art exhibit in the style of a Buddhist temple. By the end of the 20th century, the original Wat Rong Khun was in a bad state of repair and funds were not available for renovation. Chalermchai Kositpipat, a local artist from Chiang Rai, decided to completely rebuild the temple and fund the project with his own money. The artist intends for the area adjacent to the temple to be a center of learning and meditation and for people to gain benefit from the Buddhist teachings. Today the works are ongoing, but are not expected to be completed until 2070. Then continue to visit Art Bridge which is a non-government funded community-based artist collective that seeks to further nurture and support the arts within Thailand. The gallery hosts the works of many local Chiang Rai artists and the collection changes every few months. Expect to find huge panorama paintings of the northern Thailand landscape, modern art and a collection of sculptures. Next visit Black House Museum, a short drive from the middle of Chiang Rai city, Baan Dam (Black House) is the unique creation of national artist, Thawan Duchanee. Part art studio, part museum, part home, Baan Dam is an eclectic mix of traditional northern Thai buildings interspersed with some outlandish modern designs. Baan Dam is a thought-provoking combination of sanuk, the surreal and the sombre and whilst it's fair to say that some of the artwork and themes on display won't be to everybody's liking its worth the visit.
Duration: 4 Hours
Departs: 8:30 a.m. - Returns: 12:30 p.m.
From: Chiang Rai
