A Peaceful Day at “Khao Yai Art Forest”

You may have caught a glimpse of her on social media—a towering spider sculpture named Maman, standing boldly in the middle of a rice field. The awe-inspiring work of the late French-American artist Louise Bourgeois, Maman is already legendary. But nothing quite compares to seeing it in person at Khao Yai Art Forest. The sheer size is overwhelming. With spindly legs that rise nearly 10 meters high, it plants itself firmly in the earth, exuding a quiet, powerful presence that somehow feels right at home in the surrounding wilderness.

For those unfamiliar with Khao Yai Art Forest, this place—known in Thai as Silpa Pa, or “art in the forest”—has been open to the public for over a year. It is not your typical art institution. Rather than displaying works in polished gallery halls, it brings them into the heart of nature. Guided by the concept of healing, the space is a sanctuary for emotional and spiritual restoration through art.

The vision behind Khao Yai Art Forest began with Marisa Chearavanont, its founder, who dreamed of creating a place where art and nature could truly meet. To bring this bold concept to life, she enlisted the help of renowned Artistic Director Stefano Rabolli Pansera, whose creative direction shaped the space into what it is today—Silpa Pa (literally “Art Forest”), a contemporary art institution nestled in Pong Talong, a subdistrict of Pak Chong in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

The site is divided into two main areas. The first is a rotating exhibition space, home to the colossal Maman sculpture, which is open to the public free of charge. The second area, known simply as the Art Forest, houses permanent installations and requires a ticket for entry—priced at 500 baht per person.

Our team at Khaoyai Connect was fortunate to be guided through the forest by Ratchasiri “Vogue” Rattanawan, a passionate young art graduate and assistant curator at Khao Yai Art Forest. With her insight and energy, we were able to explore every hidden piece along the winding trails, making the entire day feel like a journey into a living, breathing gallery.

Maman: A Giant Spider and the Invisible Thread Between Mother and Child

The first highlight—an absolute must-see—is Maman, the iconic giant spider. In French, Maman simply means “mother.” Created in the final years of Louise Bourgeois’s life, this monumental work was a deeply personal tribute to her own mother. Crafted from stainless steel and bronze, the spider’s body houses 20 marble eggs—fragile and strong all at once. It’s a raw and intimate piece, laying bare the artist’s inner world and evoking an intense emotional response from nearly everyone who encounters it.

While the spider’s looming form may appear intimidating at first glance, its true story lies quietly beneath the surface. Bourgeois’s mother was a tapestry restorer and weaver of antique fabrics—a figure who both protected and sometimes frightened her. Like the spider, her mother was complex: part monster, part guardian; she wove threads of care, rebuilt what was broken, and enveloped her world with quiet strength. Their relationship, like the sculpture, was far from perfect—but it was deeply, hauntingly beautiful.

“As we stand here in the Flat Area,” Vogue, the assistant curator, explained as we walked, “you’ll notice Maman is surrounded by rice fields. This zone is open to the public, completely free of charge. That’s because Stefano—our Artistic Director—wanted to share this with the Thai people. This spider has existed for 25 years now, since 1999, and this is the first time Maman has ever been shown in Southeast Asia. What makes this exhibition even more special is that Maman is usually displayed in urban settings, but here, we took a bit of a bold step—placing her right in the middle of a rice field, encircled by Khao Yai’s rolling mountains.”

Maman has been on display at Khao Yai Art Forest for nearly a year now, as part of a rotating exhibition. But her time here is drawing to a close. The sculpture is on loan from The Easton Foundation in New York, which manages Bourgeois’s works, and must soon be returned. On August 17th, the Art Forest team will host an official farewell ceremony for the spider—one last moment to honor her presence. For those who haven’t yet seen her, now is the time. It's rare to find a world-class sculpture like this standing within arm’s reach.

With our hearts full from the encounter, we finally turned away from Maman and followed our soft-spoken young guide deeper into the forest, ready to explore the permanent art installations of the Art Forest.

Stop 1: “Two Planets” by Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook

A Collision of Worlds Through Video Art

Our first stop in the Art Forest brought us to a work by Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, one of Thailand’s most celebrated contemporary artists. Titled Two Planets, this video installation stages a surreal and impossible encounter between two completely different worlds.

In the video, Araya places reproductions of famous artworks—those typically seen only in prestigious museums—in the middle of rural Thailand. Local villagers, mostly farmers, gather around the paintings, seated in open fields or among rice paddies, to observe and discuss them. The result is quietly subversive: a scene that feels both absurd and oddly profound. Four different versions of the video unfold, each set in a new rural landscape with a different painting and a new group of villagers. As they voice their opinions—some amused, some puzzled, some deeply thoughtful—we witness a raw and authentic dialogue shaped by their own lives, perspectives, and cultural lenses.

Born and raised in Trat Province, Araya has long been known for her fearless explorations of taboo and tradition. Her work challenges viewers to rethink societal norms, especially around identity, mortality, and ritual. One of her earlier, most provocative pieces, Reading for Corpses (2002–2005), featured the artist reciting poetry beside real shrouded bodies. It was a bold meditation on impermanence and what it means to be human in a world that often turns away from death.

Stop 2: GOD by Francesco Arena

The Weight of Belief, Hidden Beneath Stone

At the next stop, we found ourselves standing before two massive limestone boulders stacked vertically amid a grove of teak trees, their trunks stretching skyward in elegant uniformity. The stones radiated a quiet strength—so immense and still—that for a moment, the restless mind seemed to pause. It was a silent reminder of nature’s grandeur, something humanity has revered since ancient times.

Italian artist Francesco Arena selected this limestone himself from Kanchanaburi province. He then split it into two pieces and engraved a letter beneath each: G and D on one, and O on the other. Once stacked together, these hidden engravings form the word GOD, concealed beneath the surface. No one can see the word from the outside. And yet—it’s there. The sculpture speaks to the invisible weight of belief: intangible, unprovable, and yet always present.

Francesco Arena is known for minimalist sculptures and installations that often draw inspiration from political events, collective memory, and personal history. Working with elemental materials like stone, metal, and wood, he explores themes of absence, time, and the human experience—quietly urging viewers to consider what lies beneath the visible.

Stop 3: Pilgrimage to Eternity by Ubatsat (2024)

A Sacred Journey Through Fragmented Time

Scattered along the winding forest path are nine sculptural pieces—weathered, solemn, and half-buried in moss. Together, they form Pilgrimage to Eternity, a powerful installation by Thai artist Ubatsat. The work draws from ancient knowledge passed down through generations in his own family: the sacred craft of building chedis (Buddhist stupas) using traditional mold-making techniques.

The installation begins at the base of the trail with the foundation mold of a stupa. As you ascend, other parts of the chedi gradually appear—each placed on rising terrain, leading toward the peak where the spire would sit. The positioning mimics a spiritual pilgrimage, echoing the idea of seeking enlightenment through the forest. Yet each piece is set as if forgotten—decaying, fractured, overtaken by nature. Moss clings to their surfaces, like time refusing to let go. The result is a quiet reflection on impermanence: a reminder that all things in life are subject to birth, existence, and eventual dissolution.

Born in Bangkok in 1980, Ubatsat studied Fine Arts for his undergraduate degree, followed by a master’s in Philosophy and Religion at Chiang Mai University. Much of his artistic practice centers around social engagement. He collaborates with diverse communities—farmers, artisans, musicians, cooks, and specialists from many walks of life—inviting them into the creative process. His works span across media, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, and site-specific installations, all rooted in a deep dialogue between tradition, landscape, and lived experience.

Stop 4: K-BAR by Elmgreen & Dragset

*A Cocktail of Irony in the Wilderness

It’s an odd and almost surreal feeling—stumbling upon a sleek little cocktail bar in the middle of the forest. Waist-high grasses brush against your legs as you approach. From the outside, it looks abandoned. But peek inside, and you’ll find a scene straight out of a stylish urban nightspot: rows of liquor bottles lining the back wall, a polished stainless-steel counter gleaming against dark wood accents, bold red stools, terrazzo flooring, and a framed painting by German artist Martin Kippenberger hanging proudly on the wall.

This is K-BAR, an installation by Scandinavian duo Elmgreen & Dragset, known for their sharp, ironic take on contemporary life. The bar is both a tribute and a bittersweet joke—dedicated to Kippenberger, who died of liver cancer, a consequence of his famously excessive drinking. In true Elmgreen & Dragset fashion, the work blends aesthetic precision with dark humor, placing a symbol of urban indulgence deep within the serenity of nature.

Here, among teak trees and silence, the bar sits unused and untouched—its glamour out of place, its presence absurd. And yet, it lingers in your thoughts, like the ghost of a good night out that ended too soon.

What makes K-BAR even more intriguing is that it isn’t just for show—it actually opens to the public once a month, on the second Saturday. Each session allows only six guests at a time. Designed in collaboration with the mixologists from KU BAR, a renowned cocktail bar in Bangkok, this immersive art-bar experience costs 1,000 baht per person and lasts 45 minutes. It’s a rare window of time—perfect for savoring a finely crafted cocktail while soaking in an installation that feels like a dream wedged between trees.

Elmgreen & Dragset is the collaborative name of Michael Elmgreen from Denmark and Ingar Dragset from Norway. The duo has been working together since 1995 and is internationally acclaimed for their conceptual and installation art, blending humor, social commentary, and aesthetic finesse. Their works often challenge traditional notions of public and private space, and reflect on themes of identity, power structures, and cultural norms.

One of their most iconic pieces is Prada Marfa (2005), a permanent installation in the Texas desert. Styled like a luxury Prada boutique—complete with real products inside—it’s completely non-functional, locked and unreachable. The work critiques consumerism and the commodification of art, raising questions about what art means when it's removed from function but placed within spectacle.

Stop 5: Madrid Circle by Richard Long

Where Sky, Stone, and Stillness Meet

At the highest point along the Art Forest trail, you’ll find a quiet, contemplative work by British artist Richard Long, born in 1945 and widely recognized as a pioneer of land art. The piece, titled Madrid Circle, consists of stones arranged in a perfect ring—an elemental symbol of continuity, unity, and equilibrium. Here, it speaks to the mission of Khao Yai Art Forest itself: to reconnect art and nature in a seamless, living dialogue.

Standing beside Madrid Circle, one can take in both the sculpture and the panoramic view of the sky and mountains at once. It's the kind of place that invites silence—the kind of stillness that makes space for reflection. As you gaze at the circle of stones, time seems to stretch out, and the boundary between the inner and outer world begins to blur.

Vogue, our guide, shared that this work was part of Marisa Chearavanont’s private collection, originally acquired in 1988 as part of the Panza Collection—a historically significant art collection renowned in the contemporary world. Each stone was carefully relocated and reinstalled here, one piece at a time, until the circle was complete—restored and grounded in its new home in the forest.

Stop 6: Fog Landscape #48435 by Fujiko Nakaya

Where Science, Nature, and Ephemerality Converge

This ethereal landscape of mist, created by Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya, is one of the most enchanting highlights of the Art Forest. Nakaya, whose father created the world’s first artificial snowflake, was inspired by his legacy to combine science and nature in astonishing new ways. Her medium? Fog. Not merely visual art, but a sculptural phenomenon that embraces air, water, temperature—and time.

Fog Landscape #48435 is a land art installation that merges advanced atmospheric technology with the natural contours of the forest. On Thursdays and Fridays, the fog emerges once daily at 4:30 PM. On weekends, it appears twice—at 11:30 AM and again at 4:30 PM.

As the fog machine activates, ultra-fine water particles are released into the air, condensing to create a cool, silky mist. The fog dances and drifts through the hills and valleys of the landscape, which was carefully co-designed with a Japanese landscape architect to heighten the effect. Audiences delight in the sudden shift of atmosphere—laughing, chasing, pausing in awe. And just as suddenly, it vanishes. A breath, a veil, a truth: everything is fleeting. What remains is the feeling, and the realization that impermanence is not just natural—it is beautiful.

Vogue shared with us that the fog sculpture site was once a humble cassava field. Through careful redesign, the land was transformed into a gently sloping terrain—an intentional move that fulfilled the artist’s vision: to let the fog roll down and gather at the center. Each showing of the work is slightly different, depending on the day’s weather. Under a hot midday sun, with low humidity and brisk winds, the mist disperses quickly, rising into the air. But in the cooler, more humid evenings, the fog lingers low and slow, hovering close to the ground in delicate veils. The most remarkable part? The fog is made from clean, drinkable water—art literally made of life.

“One of the roles of art today,” Vogue reflected, “is to create phenomena that we can’t encounter in everyday life. These moments may spark realizations, depending entirely on each person’s experience. And art today—it’s no longer confined to ‘pure’ art. It intersects with science, social thought, and the humanities. It mirrors the present moment, in all its complexity.”

The Origins of the Art Forest

Where Nature Became the Canvas

The concept behind Khao Yai Art Forest—where contemporary art meets the natural world—can be traced back to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. During lockdowns, Khao Yai remained one of the few places in Thailand where people were still allowed to step outside. For Marisa Chearavanont, the founder, it became a deeply personal reconnection with nature. That moment sparked a vision: to create a space where others could also heal, recharge, and be restored—surrounded by the forest, yet immersed in artistic experiences rarely found in daily life.

The artworks selected for this space all share one requirement: they must be suitable for outdoor installation. Many of the pieces are site-specific, created by artists invited to work directly with the land. Local materials from the Khao Yai area are used wherever possible, reinforcing the sense of place and belonging.

But Art Forest is more than just a sculpture park or outdoor gallery. It is also an incubator for creative exchange. Through its Artist Residency Program, international artists are invited to stay and collaborate with the local team, using natural materials found onsite to create new works. At the same time, the program also supports young Thai artists by sending them abroad for similar residencies—bridging cultures, sharing methods, and deepening the dialogue between art and the world around it.

Art, Community, and Quiet Restoration

“The Art Forest isn’t just about art,” Vogue added. “We also work closely with the local community. We regularly invite schoolchildren to visit—like students from Moosi School nearby. The kids absolutely love it. They run through the fog sculpture, laugh, explore. Every year, we organize projects to help build schools, restrooms, and donate supplies. Education is something Khun Marisa truly values.”

The team also exchanges knowledge with local farmers—particularly those with deep expertise in tending to the land and trees. It’s part of a larger vision: to strengthen the community and foster long-term sustainability—not just culturally, but socially and environmentally as well.

Vogue, who has spent more than a year immersed in the spirit of the Art Forest, reflected that the space is slowly gaining wider recognition. Visitors now come not only from across Thailand but from around the world—some traveling specifically to experience this unique intersection of art and wilderness. With this growing interest, Khao Yai Art Forest has become a new kind of destination—one that brings not only tourism, but renewed economic life to the surrounding community.

After more than three hours of slowly walking the forest path, surrounded by sculpture, trees, and sky, we came away not only with images and impressions—but with something quieter, deeper. To observe. To reflect. To simply walk and be present. Sometimes, that’s all it takes for a little lost energy to find its way back.

Visitor Information

Opening Hours:

• Thursday–Friday: 12:30 PM – 6:00 PM

• Saturday–Sunday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Closed: Monday–Wednesday

Admission Fees:

• General public: 500 THB

• Students, university students, and seniors: 50% discount

• Special packages available:

– Day pass with lunch: 1,000 THB

– Day pass with dinner: 1,500 THB

For more information, visit: https://www.khaoyaiart.com/

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