THAILAND RISING

Does this Southeast Asian kingdom have what it takes to become Asia's next big art hub? Patron MARISA CHEARAVANONT and curator STEFANO RABOLLI PANSERA certainly think so.

- MADELAINE CLARK

Marisa Chearavanont may have married into one of the wealthiest families in Thailand, but don't allow that to forge any preconceptions about her.

Although her wedding to Soopakij Chearavanont, the head of Thailand's largest conglomerate, CP Group, could have relegated her to a life of diamonds and society parties, there's much more to the South Korean philanthropist and art patron. Whether spearheading her Chef Cares project, which donated food to frontline workers during the pandemic, or organising culinary training for underprivileged youth, she's always been driven to make an impact. And she's now on a mission to position Thailand as the epicentre of Southeast Asia's contemporary art scene and, by so doing, propel Thai artists to global attention.

Chearavanont, who spent 20 years in Hong Kong before moving to Bangkok in 2017, has long had a passion for collecting, but until now it's been a personal project. “Now I want to do something bigger, for society, the community, for Thailand,” she says, while adding she no longer sees herself as a collector but rather “an art sharer and enabler”. With the help of Italian architect and curator Stefano Rabolli Pansera, previously a director at Hauser & Wirth, she's been playing her part in cultivating the steadily blooming art scene in Thailand. The first effort was the January 2024 opening in Bangkok of a Kunsthalle, an experimental contemporary art space comprising art, music, dance and cinema. That was followed this month with the opening of the Khao Yai Art Forest, an endeavour that seeks to redefine what an art institution is and promote the healing powers of art and nature.