River Art Venue

Gazing Solo Art Exhibition by Than Kyaw Htay
2024-11-01 - 2024-11-24 | 2nd Floor La Luna Gallery, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Gazing is a series inspired by the artist’s journey to Shan State in 2007, where he observed the everyday lives of the Pa-Oh people—recognizable by their colorful turbans and deep connection to the land. Through striking portraits set against quiet rural backdrops, the works reflect a powerful sense of stillness, isolation, and endurance.
Figures are often shown from behind or gazing into the distance—gestures that speak to the country’s ongoing political uncertainty and the sense of being turned away from the world. The vivid colors and warm outlines used in each piece carry a sense of longing and fragile hope, even amid hardship.
These paintings also reference the continued struggles of ethnic minorities in Myanmar, shaped by conflict and instability. By combining expressive color with textured techniques—scratched through the paint in homage to Van Gogh—the artist brings depth and movement to scenes that are both personal and political.
Gazing captures a quiet resistance and the enduring spirit of a people looking forward, even when the path ahead remains uncertain.

Breath Art Exhibition
2024-09-24 - 2024-10-24 | 2nd Floor La Luna Gallery, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand
An art exhibition exploring the rhythm of life through the quiet power of breath.
Featuring works by Thee Rut, Siwawong Rakwongwarit, Tom Bell (Khun Kenneth), Athit Yotthamee, Sakol Suttimarn, and Sisana Chotechiwatorn, this group show contemplates the essence of being—through breath as both a physical act and a symbol of presence, memory, and transition.
Each artist offers a personal reflection on how breath connects the inner world with the world around us, weaving together past, present, and future. The exhibition moves between stillness and motion, introspection and release, offering a meditative space to pause and reflect on the invisible force that unites us all.
Inhale. Observe. Let the art speak.

International Women’s Day 2024
2024-07-02 - 2024-09-15 | 1st Floor La Luna gallery, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand
An exhibition honoring the strength, creativity, and voices of women across cultures and generations.
Bringing together works by Cordt Holland, David Kwan Shon, Than Kyaw Htay, Preeyanuch Pakkul, and U Bat Sat, the exhibition reflects on the role of women in society—both celebrated and challenged. Each artist offers a distinct perspective, exploring themes of identity, resilience, memory, and everyday life through painting, photography, and mixed media.
In parallel, a hands-on side activity led by Kru Boonwattana invites visitors to engage with traditional sa-paper stencil making, blending craft with reflection in a communal setting.
This exhibition is both a tribute and a conversation—an artistic space where diverse experiences of womanhood are shared, questioned, and honored.

Lacquer home·com·ing
2024-03-01 - 2024-06-15 | Art Connecting, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand
The exhibition Lacquer – Homecoming explores the rich, evolving presence of lacquer in everyday life—across cultures, materials, and time. From traditional techniques to contemporary innovation, the show brings together artworks and functional objects that reflect lacquer’s place in both history and daily living.
Rooted in the idea of “homecoming”—a return to something familiar yet rediscovered—the exhibition invites visitors to consider lacquer not just as an artistic medium, but as part of a broader, lived experience. Whether derived from natural or synthetic sources, lacquer surrounds us in subtle, often overlooked ways. This exhibition brings it into focus.
Lacquer – Homecoming is part of an ongoing curatorial initiative to establish Chiang Mai as a center for lacquer knowledge and artistic exchange. Following the 2023 exhibition Arrow of Time, this project continues to build a platform where craft, culture, and curiosity meet.
Through a thoughtful, interdisciplinary approach, the exhibition blends historical narratives with contemporary interpretations. It encourages visitors to reflect on the many forms lacquer takes—from the objects we use, to the stories they carry—and to rediscover its beauty in new, personal ways.
Ultimately, the exhibition is an invitation: to connect, to reflect, and to return—through art—to the quiet presence of lacquer in our lives.

The Arrow of Time
2023-07-07 - 2023-10-06 | Art Connecting, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Lacquer in LayersAn immersive, three-floor exploration of lacquer—past, present, and material origin.
This multi-level exhibition invites visitors to journey through the evolving story of lacquer, beginning with its contemporary artistic expressions and tracing back to its natural source: the lacquer tree. Each floor of the venue offers a unique lens on lacquer’s role in art, culture, and everyday life.
1st Floor – Contemporary TransformationThe first floor features striking lacquer artworks by three Vietnamese artists whose practices bridge tradition and innovation. Once considered primarily a craft medium, lacquer here is elevated into contemporary fine art, marking a critical turning point in its evolution.
2nd Floor – Cultural HeritageMoving up, the second floor delves into the historical and cultural significance of lacquer across the Lanna Kingdom, Burmese Mandalay, Shan, and Siamese traditions. Through patterns, objects, and storytelling, this display reveals the shared lineage and regional connections woven through lacquer’s design and daily use.
3rd Floor – Back to the SourceThe top floor brings visitors face-to-face with the lacquer tree itself. The exhibition compares two methods of sap collection: the traditional techniques of the Karen hill tribe and the refined processes developed through academic study. This floor reconnects lacquer art to its ecological roots, completing the cycle from material to masterpiece.
Together, these three layers offer a rare, holistic look at lacquer—honoring its heritage, celebrating its transformation, and grounding it in the living landscape from which it originates.
