Representatives from Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) and Asset World Corporation (AWC)—one of Thailand’s largest real estate conglomerates— announced today (10 July) plans to build Mona Bangkok, a major new art museum destined for a landmark waterfront site in the Thai capital.
Mona’s owner and founder David Walsh, the artist and curator Kirsha Kaechele, and Leigh Carmichael, the chief executive officer of the museum’s subsidiary Darklab were all present at the announcement, which took place at Athenee Hotel Bangkok.
“AWC are a huge company, heavily involved in the tourism industry, " Carmichael tells The Art Newspaper, adding “they also own attractions, but [Mona Bangkok] is their first foray into the art world.”
Under the terms of the agreement AWC will build, own and operate the museum. Mona, meanwhile, will be responsible for the building’s architecture, curation, collection, commissioning and exhibition design. The agreement will remain in place for 15 years with the option to extend by a further five years. A lot of the finer details are “yet to be worked out”, Carmichael says.
According to Carmichael, who will lead the project on behalf of Mona, AWC, whose real estate portfolio is worth an estimated USD$6nn and includes other Bangkok landmarks such as Asiatique, a large entertainment precinct on the Chao Phraya River, also approached a number of “more established institutions” before striking up a partnership with the Hobart-based museum. After a series of face-to-face meetings in Hobart and Bangkok, and roughly 12 months of contract negotiations, Carmichael says he is excited by the prospect.
“What a great opportunity to apply the skills and experience that we've picked up over 25 years into a new context,” he says.
Mona, founded by Walsh in 2011, is Australia’s largest private museum, and features an eclectic mix of art and antiquities. Last month, it opened a new wing, Phrontisterion, which features a library containing 50,000 items, as well as installations by the leading contemporary artists artists Anselm Kiefer and Julian Charrière.
Although a full timeline for MONA Bangkok has yet to be announced, Carmichael says the museum is expected to open in 2029. Although he acknowledges that date may be a little “optimistic”, AWC “have certainly got resources, so we'll aim for that, and we'll see where it lands”.
When it opens MONA Bangkok will further contribute to the South Asian capital’s burgeoning reputation as a destination for arts and culture, joining Dib Bangkok, the privately-owned contemporary art museum that opened last December, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) which opened in 2012 and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre in 2008.
“Bangkok feels like exciting territory for growth,” says Carmichael, adding that he is adamant the new museum will not be a “replica” of the original. Instead, Mona Bangkok “will take the creative spirit of Mona but come up with a new concept” that is developed in partnership with locals and AWC”.
Light has already emerged as a major theme for the new museum, explains Carmichael. We’re thinking about exploring the ‘phenomenon of light’, both ‘physical and metaphorical’”.
The announcement includes a preliminary rendering of the museum building that resembles two large interlocking triangles on a large open piazza located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. Much like Mona in Hobart, MONA Bangkok will be accessible via ferry and a newly announced chair lift that will connect the museum to Asiatique located on the opposite side of the river.
For Carmichael, the biggest challenge Mona will face will be working with a partner at this scale. “Over the past 20 years, MONA has done its own thing with its own resources, so this is definitely new territory”.
