CULTURE SPHERE: A new dawn for Bangkok as a cultural hub?
By Phatarawadee Phataranawik, THE NATION

After a long wait, the government’s previously incoherent policy on building up a cultural infrastructure is finally taking shape. Members of the local art scene and design community have been given a major boost now that the administration has committed billions of baht on relatively well-thought-out art, design and fashion projects. In the next few years, Bangkok will boast its first world-class design, fashion and art venues, all easily accessible via Skytrain, which means we will be able to have fun indulging in a more sophisticated lifestyle while enjoying these venues instead of the more mundane fare of shopping malls and other temples of consumer culture.

Two art centres are planned. The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre will be on three rai of land on the corner of the Pathum Wan intersection, supported by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). Also, a Bt5.8-billion cultural complex will be built on 35 rai by the Thailand Cultural Centre on Ratchadaphisek Road, a mega-project supported by the Culture Ministry.

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