Founded on an ethos of friendship, and emerging from a regional constellation of artists' initiatives and independent spaces, the series of art festivals known as Chiang Mai Social Installation (1992–98) staged contemporary Thai art within everyday city life. From temples and cemeteries to libraries, the town square and even a dental clinic, these artist-led interventions present a self-funded anarchic alternative to Southeast Asia's subsequently expanding biennial culture, while also marking the emergence of a wider contemporary moment.
The first comprehensive publication on these projects, this book presents extensive photographic documentation alongside a multivocal account by its participants.