Artistic Director

Chief Executive and Artistic Director Bangkok Art Biennale (2018)

Prof. Dr Apinan Poshyananda (b.1956 Bangkok) received Master Degree in Fine Arts from Edinburgh University and PhD in History of Art from Cornell University, New York. He became Professor at Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and served as Director-General, Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Permanent Secretary and Acting Minister, Ministry of Culture, Thailand.

As artist, he held solo video installations How to Explain Art to a Bangkok Cock (Bhirasri Institute of Modern Art, Bangkok); Blue Laughter (Herbert Johnson Art Museum, New York, National Gallery of Art, Bangkok). He received 3 medals at National Exhibition of Art, Thailand.

Poshyananda has curated numerous international exhibitions including Contemporary Art in Asia: Traditions/Tensions (New York, Vancouver, Perth, Taipei); Temple of the Mind: Montien Boonma (New York, San Francisco, Canberra); Beyond Paradise (Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai); Floating Chimera (Stockholm); Heri Dono (Tokyo); Heroes and Holies (Limerick); Tout à Fait Thai (Paris); Thai Art Festival (Rome); Show Me Thai (Tokyo); Traces of Siamese Smile (Bangkok); Thai Trends (Bangkok); Thai Transience (Singapore); Thailand Eye (London). He has curated at Asia-Pacific Triennial, Istanbul Biennial, Johannesburg Biennale, Sao Paulo Biennial Sydney Biennale, Venice Biennale. In Bangkok, he curated solo exhibitions by Joan Miro, Marina

Abramovic, Zhang Peili, Nobuyoshi Araki, Choi Jeong Hwa, Yasumasa Morimura, Paolo Canevari and Hung Liu. He was responsible for Tsunami Sculpture Memorial by Louis Bourgeois at Krabi, Thailand.

Poshyananda’s books include Modern Art in Thailand (Oxford University Press); Western-style Painting and Sculpture in the Royal Thai Court (Royal Household); Behind Thai Smiles (OCAC); Playing with Slippery Lubricants (OCAC).

He is committee of the Asian Cultural Council, Solomon Guggenheim Museum, New York; Board of National Gallery, Singapore; Board of Foundation of Bangkok Art and Culture; Board of Bualuang Painting Contest, Bangkok Bank; Advisor to President and CEO, Thai Beverage Co., Ltd.

Poshyananda was conferred Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant, Thailand; Knight First Class of Royal Order of the Polar Star, Sweden; Knight, Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, Italy; Officer of the French Arts and Letters Order, France.