Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat confirmed that the decision for Phuket to host The Thailand Biennale 2025 festival had been made by Minister of Culture Sermsak Phongpanich on Thursday (Jan 11).
Joined at Provincial Hall for an official press conference on Thursday evening by Anchalee Vanich Thepbut, the President of the Phuket Art Association, Governor Sophon said it will be an honour for the province to host the month-long festival, which will have numerous soft power advantages such as boosting tourism and creating jobs locally.
Thailand Biennale is a biennial (taking place every two years) international contemporary art exhibition initiated by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture, Thailand.
Next year’s event will be the fourth edition following previous events staged in Krabi (2018), Nakhon Ratchsima (2021) and Chiang Rai (2023).
Destinations are specifically selected based on their ability to generate capital and host high profile events that can contribute positively to the objective of promoting Thailand’s art scene on the international stage. Last year’s event in Chiang Rai saw over 245,000 visitors attend, both in person and online.
A committee of experts from the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture assess and ultimately select locations based on their suitability, which also takes into consideration renowned artists from or based in the respective province.
Other provinces that were under consideration to host next year’s event include Nakhon Sawan representing the country’s northern region and Prachuap Khiri Khan representing the central region. Phuket was ultimately seected due mainly to its natural history, culture and global standing as a major international tourist destination.
Budgetary support from the Ministry of Culture to arrange the event next year would be forthcoming, officials confirmed, with further details to be disclosed in due course.