South and Southeast Asia have witnessed several exciting art institutions open up in recent memory, with many others slated to open their doors in the near future. As STIR continues its coverage of the compelling work in the region, we take a moment to highlight some of the most exciting spaces that we spotted in 2024.

1. Hampi Arts Labs

Hampi Art Labs was launched in Karnataka, India, in February 2024, having been founded by Sangita Jindal, a chairperson of the JSW (Jindal South-West) Group, along with her daughter Tarini Jindal Handa. Jindal Handa is the managing director of JSW Realty and has come on board as the Labs’ creative director. It sits near the UNESCO Heritage Site of Hampi, which was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 – 1565. Vijayanagara was a powerful South Indian kingdom that lasted from 1336 – 1646 and ruled much of southern India at its peak.

The facility has been conceived as an arts production and exhibition centre. Its inaugural art exhibition was titled Right Foot First, which ran from February 6 – May 31, 2024, and presented art from the Sangita Jindal Collection. The group show’s title was inspired by the Hindu tradition of taking a step with the right foot whenever starting a new endeavour and was themed around notions of growth and progress. The exhibition was organised according to cross-disciplinary pairings between exhibited practices, such as Indian artists Bharti Kher and Reena Saini Kallat, British artist Annie Morris and Indian artist Manish Nai, and Indian artist Praneet Soi and Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei.

2. Jaipur Centre for Art

This new institution is located in The City Palace, Jaipur, and opened its doors to the public on November 23, 2024. It was founded by HH Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur and art consultant Noelle Kadar.

The Jaipur Centre for Art will focus on both art and design exhibition programming and will offer an artist residency and public art programmes.

Its inaugural exhibition, A New Way of Seeing, is on view from November 23, 2024 – March 16, 2025, and is curated by Peter Nagy, founder of Nature Morte. The exhibition is a group show featuring Indian and international artists, including British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor, Irish-American artist Sean Scully and Japanese photographer and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto. The common thread between the exhibited practices is a preoccupation with the perception of the artwork, and the exhibition is themed around the ways in which the processes of producing and presenting work can be manipulated to subvert the end result that audiences interact with.

3. Dib Bangkok

Dib Bangkok is an international contemporary art museum that will open in late 2025. It is founded by the Osathanugrah family, which was led by famed Thai composer and art collector Petch Osathanugrah until his passing in 2023. Dib is under the stewardship of the composer’s son Purat (Chang), who is joined at its helm by Miwako Tezuka, the museum’s inaugural director.

The institution’s name, ‘Dib’, translates to ‘raw’ in Thai, which references the art museum’s building, a repurposed steel warehouse that will retain much of its infrastructure. Particularly, Dib will preserve the Thai-Chinese architectural elements on its second floor, such as its window frames and the ceiling.

4. Bangkok Kunsthalle

The Bangkok Kunsthalle launched in January 2024, having been envisioned as a multidisciplinary contemporary art space. It was founded by Thai-Korean social entrepreneur Marisa Chearavanont, along with curator Stefano Rabolli Pansera, who was formerly the director of Hauser & Wirth, London.

The Kunsthalle’s inaugural exhibition was titled Nine Plus Five Works by Michel Auder and ran from January 12 – March 10, 2024. The show featured the works of French experimental filmmaker and artist Michel Auder and exhibited nine of his films meant to display the breadth of the genres he worked in, along with five films themed around nature.

5. Saka Museum

Saka Museum is located in Bali, Indonesia, and was launched in February 2024 by hospitality chain AYANA. It is directed by Dr. Judith E. Bosnak.

Saka Museum is a cultural hub dedicated to celebrating Balinese heritage. It has various exhibits on display, including astrological calendars and sculptures of mythical beings.

6. Tanoto Art Foundation

Tanoto Art Foundation (TAF) will hold its first TAF Symposium: Soul Song of a New Organisation at the School of the Arts, Singapore, on January 14, 2025, during Singapore Art Week. The institution is founded and led by trustee Belinda Tanoto. Tanoto’s artistic director is Xiaoyu Weng, who formerly served as associate curator at Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York.

The institution is a not-for-profit foundation that is aimed at benefiting the Southeast Asian contemporary arts scene.

Tanoto Art Foundation will launch with a one-day symposium titled Soul Song of a New Organisation, organised by Weng. The symposium is inspired by the work of feminist writer and poet Jessica Horn and shall be held in order to determine “how to create and nurture an organisation with a soul”.

This was our best of 2024 roundup of the most exciting new and upcoming art spaces in the regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia.

STIRred 2024 wraps up the year with curated compilations of our expansive art, architecture and design coverage at STIR this year. Did your favourites make the list? Tell us in the comments!