Dear all,
We are pleased to share the full program for the opening of The Tang Chang Private Museum, taking place from 1–2 May 2026.
Day 1: May 1, 2026
The Tang Chang Private Museum Opening
Pre-Register : https://forms.gle/tCrnQ6jhSqpAYjYN9
Location:The Tang Chang Private Museum, Nakhon Pathom
https://maps.app.goo.gl/PF17vzhKVhNYabp19
The Tang Chang Private Museum
Grand Opening Exhibition
“Poet Tang Chang’s Institute of Modern Art”
Curated by Nawapooh Sae-tang
May 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027
Opening Ceremony on May 1, 2026 at 2pm
“Poet Tang Chang’s Institute of Modern Art” was the name of the space that Tang Chang established at his home in the Thonburi area in 1985. At a time when the Thai art scene offered very limited exhibition opportunities for independent artists, Chang transformed his private residence into a site for artistic practice and display. The space presented his own works alongside those of his students and his children.
From the 1970s onward, the growth of liberal thought in Thailand encouraged university students to seek artistic practices beyond academic institutions. Some of these young artists became Chang’s students. While the number of emerging artists steadily increased during this period, exhibition spaces remained scarce. In response, Chang opened his house in Thonburi as an alternative venue for exhibitions and as a shared space for artistic experimentation, learning, and exchange. In 1985, this initiative was formally named “Poet Tang Chang’s Institute of Modern Art.” More than an exhibition venue, the institute embodied the spirit of an educational institution and functioned as a place of learning and mentorship for younger generations. It is regarded as one of the early alternative art schools or independent art spaces in the formative years of Thai modern art.
14:00 Registration
15:00 Curator-led tour of Poet Tang Chang’s Institute of Modern Art
17:00 Private Dining (by invitation only)
Day 2: May 2, 2026
Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre (BACC)
Register: https://forms.gle/bhHYEHJ1XHqhBVrr5
Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DvSgMoF3fTe9Tabu7
International Academic Symposium
“Tang Chang: Reading | Reading: Tang Chang”
(English and Thai, with translation provided)
Multi-function Room, 1st floor, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Program Curator: Nawapooh Sae-tang
How should we study an artist? This question is not merely about revisiting the narrative of a life or reaffirming the greatness of the past. Rather, it is about seeking new possibilities for approaching the artist’s identity and intellectual legacy in a more comprehensive and critical manner. In collaboration with the Tang Chang Private Museum and the Education Department of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), we are pleased to invite audiences to the International Academic Symposium “Tang Chang: Reading | Reading: Tang Chang,” held on the occasion of the launch of the Tang Chang Private Museum. This symposium proposes a mode of reading that moves beyond viewing the artist solely through biographical accounts or grand narratives. Instead, it explores the dynamic relationships between the artist Tang Chang, his works, and the social contexts in which they were produced. These contexts are themselves constantly changing. The symposium therefore seeks to open new possibilities for studying the artist not as an isolated figure but as one element within broader networks of social and historical relations.
“Tang Chang: Reading | Reading: Tang Chang” features dialogues by leading Thai and international scholars who engage in a "reading" of the life and work of the late artist. While the artist has passed, his invaluable legacy endures through the management of his estate by the succeeding generation. Through processes of collection, interpretation, and systematic organization, “Tang Chang” ceases to be a static "object" of study. Instead, his work possesses the power to gaze back and challenge the frameworks of modern thought. The symposium also considers the management of the artist’s legacy while exploring the many thresholds that surround the artist, including the relationship between life and work, the dialogue between art and poetry, the crossing of cultural boundaries, and the shifting dynamics of history. These intersections suggest that understanding Tang Chang’s intellectual legacy cannot be reduced to a fixed conclusion. Instead, it remains an ongoing process that invites us to read and reread his work, uncovering new meanings within the shifting contexts of time.
10:00 Registration
10:10–10:15 Opening Remarks by
Dr. Adulaya Hoontrakul
Director, Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre
10:20–10:30 “Management of the Artist Estate”
Nawapooh Sae-tang
Director, The Tang Chang Private Museum
10:30–11:00 “Tang Chang’s Inventory Project: Artworks, Archives, and Writings”
Sheryl Gwee and Onpimon Imsumran
Researchers, The Tang Chang Private Museum
11:00–12:00 Keynote Speaker I
“Bringing into Play Tang Chang’s (1934–1990) Oeuvre and Archive: An Overture”
Dr. Yin Ker
Independent Art Historian
12:00–13:00 Lunch
13:00–14:00 Keynote Speaker II
“Loose Canons: Adventures in Contemporary Art’s Disorderly History”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. David Teh
National University of Singapore
14:00–16:00 Panel Discussion I
“On Tang Chang and Asian Modernism”
Asst. Prof. Dr. Chanon Kenji Praepipatmongkol (McGill University)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sarena Abdullah (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Dr. Simon Soon (The University of Melbourne)
Dr. iola Lenzi (Nanyang Technological University)
Moderated by Worathep Akkabootara (Chiang Mai University)
16:00–16:10 Break
16:10–18:00 Panel Discussion II
“From China to Thailand, From Translation to Free Verse and Concrete Poetry”
Dr. Liang Jing (Henan University of Science and Technology)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt (Thammasat University)
Asst. Prof. Dr. Apiradee Charoensenee (Chulalongkorn University)
Dr. Isara Choosri (Independent Scholar)
Moderated by Asst. Prof. Maythawee Holasut (Thammasat University)
Please note that, due to recent international political developments affecting fuel costs and travel logistics—which have also impacted our event preparations and transportation arrangements—we regret to inform you that the field trip scheduled for 3 May has been postponed. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
We look forward to welcoming you to this special occasion.
With best regards,
The Tang Chang Private Museum