Titled The Open World, the biennale has been conceived by a duo of art directors, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Gridthiya Gaweewong, supported by two co-curators, Angkrit Ajchariyasophon and Manuporn Luengaram. This all-Thai curatorial team has brought together a total of 60 artists from 21 countries, with more than half representing Southeast Asia, and a third from Thailand. Even though the primary focus is on Asia, there is also a dialogue with artists from other continents.

The integration of the Global South is particularly noteworthy at the Mae Fah Luang Art and Cultural Park, a heritage site included as one of the 10 main venues of the biennale. With a keen understanding of the local culture, the curated ensemble stands as one of the finest showcases of what the Thailand Biennale Chiang Rai has to offer. Two outdoor installations stand out. Chantdance (2023) by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto incorporates local cultural artefacts, such as brass drums, ceramic vessels and spices, into a giant crocheted nest—a recurring element in his oeuvre—made of red thread crafted from recycled plastic. On the opposite side of the park, Japanese artist Ryusuke Kido has meticulously carved the teak wood surface of a local vintage rice barn, transforming it into a cloister of contemporary bas-reliefs. Entitled Inner Light – Chiang Rai Rice Barn, its delicate motifs have been inspired by the "pattern of bacteria", according to the artist. Seamlessly blending with its environment, including at night when illuminated from within, the work is expected to remain a permanent exhibit after the closure of the biennale, giving new life to the vernacular shelter. This overlap with architecture is also evident in Beyond the Site (2023), a monumental outdoor structure crafted from bamboo and iron by Taiwanese artist Wang Wen-Chih. Specifically conceived for the garden of the Chiang Rai International Museum (CIAM), the biomorphic shape of the pavilion provides a scenic spot overlooking the paddy fields that surround the newly inaugurated institution.

In the main building of Mae Fah Luang Park, Balinese artist Citra Sasmita questions traditional representations of female figures in Timur Merah Project X: Theater in the Land of God and Beast (2023), a mixed media installation, including a large painting on cowhide encircled by lengthy and dense serpentine threads of artificial purple hair. In the next gallery, Bangladeshi artist Tayeba Begum Lipi presents In the Same Vein, a 13-metre-long hand embroidery on silk displayed with some of her iconic metal sculptures made of razor blades, including a baby stroller and an ironing board. Gendered iconographies extend to the Baan Dam Museum, the Black House that Thai artist Thawan Duchanee (1939-2014) conceived and developed over the last 40 years of his life. Inspired by the otherworldly aesthetics of the site, two Myanmar-born female artists make a strong impression. Busui Ajaw celebrates her Akha ethnic heritage, a nomadic minority from the highlands of Southeast Asia, in Mor Doom (2023), a series of paintings on cowhide surrounding Ya Be E Long (2023), a demonic wood sculpture inspired by traditional Akha coffin. As for Soe Yu Nwe, she showcases Inspirations from Shan State (2023), a hybrid setting of ceramic and glass works inspired by the female body.

Besides Lipi, South Asia is also represented by Indian artist Pablo Bartholomew showcasing Weaving Chakma: An Imagined DNA Map of the Chakma People (2017-ongoing), a photographic and mixed media installation featuring the Chakma indigenous communities living in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Displayed at the Chang Warehouse, a vast storage building transformed into an exhibition space, the work also intersects with the artist’s DNA since he’s related to the Chakma on his mother’s side. Additionally, Nepalese artist Tsherin Sherpa (b. 1968) presents three untitled paintings from 2023 inspired by Tibetan thangka art, along with Skipper (Kneedeep), a fibreglass sculpture embodying a semi-human, semi-divine figure. His work can be seen at Wat Rong Khun, also known as the ‘White Temple’, one of Chiang Rai’s most visited attractions regardless of the biennale. This venue also features a video and mixed media installation by Korakrit Arunanondchai, “conceived as a collage […] looking at the spirituality in the profane and the profane in the spirituality” as described by the Thai artist. Thus, the two artists offer epitomes of the hybrid nature of the White Temple, conceived by Chalermchai Kositpipat, an influential artist as well as a public figure in Chiang Rai.

Moving further east along the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator, the biennale also extends its reach to South America. In addition to Neto, the works of Maria Theresa Alves and Tomás Saraceno can be seen at the city’s Tobacco Warehouse. Despite the distance, these transpacific connections are becoming more prevalent as seen in past occurrences such as the Biennale Jogja 14, organised with Brazil as a guest country in 2017. Tropical: Stories from Southeast Asia and Latin America, the current exhibition at the National Gallery Singapore, also bridges the two continents. Interestingly, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, a film director, who is showing two new installations at the biennale, filmed his last movie Memoria in Colombia. Released in 2021 and awarded the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival the same year, this marked the first time that the Thai “filmmaker/artist”, as he defines himself, directed a movie outside his homeland.

As a whole, the biennale conveys a curatorial statement that aligns with Nicolas Bourriaud’s “relational aesthetics”. Ernesto Neto, Pierre Huygues as well as Tobias Rehberger, all featured in this biennale along with Rirkrit Tiravanija as co-art director, stand as key artists who inspired Bourriaud's concept in the late 1990s. Tiravanija’s art direction has likely furthered this orientation by inviting other artists who emphasise interactivity (Hsu Chia-Wei, Nguyen Trinh Thi, Shimabuku), collaborate with local craftsmen, artists and shamans (Korakot Aromdee, Tarek Atoui, Kader Attia), engage in site-specific works (Haegue Yang, Michael Lin, Poklong Anading, Boedi Widjaja), and work as a collective (all(zone), Baan Noorg). In addition to the commitment of the two co-curators, the experience of co-director Gridthiya Gaweewong, originally from Chiang Rai, has undeniably facilitated the integration of the biennale into the cultural heritage of the province and among its locals. This addresses a clear limitation of the previous edition of the biennale in 2021 in the eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The upcoming Gwangju Biennale (September 7 - December 1, 2024), titled Pansori, A Soundscape of the 21st Century, referring to a traditional form of Korean folk music, is anticipated to complement this curatorial orientation under the leadership of Bourriaud himself in celebration of its 15^th edition and 30^th anniversary.