Three hours' drive northeast from Bangkok, in the mountainous region of Khao Yai, is the Khao Yai Art Forest, which opened in February 2025. Art works are scattered throughout the vast 48-hectare natural landscape.
Just one year before Bangkok Kunsthalle owner Marisa came across the abandoned building in Chinatown, she had initially thought about opening an exhibition space, but she wanted to place art in nature and create a synergistic effect between nature and art that would heal people. This was the starting point for Khao Yai Art Forest.
Louise Bourgeois's "Maman," set among rice and sugarcane fields, is on loan and on display until August. 
Thai performance artist Araya Rasjimrimsuk's video work is set in the forest. 
Francesco Arena's "GOD" is made up of two stones, one with a G and a D and the other with an O, carved on top of each other. 
This work by Thai artist Ubastat is a stupa divided into nine sections, scattered throughout the Art Forest.
"We will invite artists from Japan and abroad to Khao Yai to create works that are inspired by the land and filled with positivity and compassion. We will feel that energy through the works. We hope to be able to feel joy and happiness through the nature of this land itself, such as the water, soil, stones, forests, greenery and even sounds."
At Art Forest, the entire process from when guests hike to the artworks to when they come face to face with them is a viewing experience. The route and the environment surrounding the artworks change depending on the weather, so the experience is always fresh. The sunset illuminating Richard Lang's sculptures that appear at the top of the hill changes with the season, and the scenery created by Fujiko Nakaya 's mist changes with the direction and strength of the wind.
There are plans to install new artworks in the future, and there are also plans to build accommodation facilities. This is an art forest that you will want to visit not just once, but many times.
Fujiko Nakaya 's "KHAO YAI FOG FOREST Fog Landscape #48436" creates a fun landscape with children running around. The artist herself visited the installation site in 2024 before the opening. 
Lunch and dinner are served at the on-site restaurant (reservations required). An example of a course meal (fried rice for lunch and khao yam for dinner) 
Chef Nam was trained by Chef David Thompson at Nahm in Bangkok.
