Nothing establishes that you are in a non western culture quite like a visit to the Black House and White Temple. Probably the major tourist attractions in Chiang Rai, located at opposite ends of the city, one north and one south. The symmetry of opposition seems hard to avoid. Black to White, Earthly to Heavenly, Spiritual to Physical. Yet there are many similarities as well. Strong individual vision, executed in a transitional Thai building style, used for Wats and temples, are spread over many buildings each representing an ideal or theme in the artist’s conception.
We were first told about these art installations (for lack of a better western term) from a young Thai woman in Mae Salong. She referred to the one artist as the number two artist in Thailand, the Black House, and the number one artist of the White Temple. (Who is former student of number two by way.) How these ranks are established, I’m not sure…the number of visitors to the grounds?
The history of the White Temple or Wat Rong Khun is that local Chaing Rai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, who is a devout Buddhist, decided to repair the original temple with his own money. Although a considerable amount of work has been completed since its opening to the public in 1997, his plan won’t be seen in its entirety until 2070.
Probably the most impressive piece in the compound is the structure made up of three separate parts. First you cross the bridge of “the cycle of rebirth”, which shows hands reaching up to the sky.
After crossing the bridge you arrive at the “gates of heaven” with its guards on either side.
Ubosot, the final building, where you must remove you shoes to visit (typical of Wats), houses a large Buddha in a no-photo zone. The walls are also covered with murals with flames and demons, as well as pop imagery as, Michael Jackson, Neo from the Matrix, George W. Bush. Hello Kitty tops the twin towers.
Other structures include the Shrine to Alcoholism and the wishing trees, where you can purchase a piece of metal that you can write on to add to the trees.
The one non-white building is gold. Kositpipat says the color gold is human, whereas white is enlightenment. Hence, the public toilets are housed in the gold building.
There is also an extensive gallery of Kositpipat prints painting, and jewelry. It also has the artist’s easel with a painting in progress (?), including the artist’s denim jacket on the back of the chair.
Life-size photos of Kositpipat smiling add an air of showmanship to the exhibit. All the while you are dodging having your eye put out by selfie-stick-wielding tourists, milling around tee-shirt stands, a food court and souvenirs for sale.
Black House,Baan Si Dum, is the creation of Chiang Rai artist, Thawan Duchanee. In addition to being a unique art exhibition it was also his home and studio when he was in town. A combination of traditional Thai and modernist designed buildings surround a pleasant garden compound.
The large scale of the buildings with massive beams and posts made from “one can only imagine” the size of the tree, looks imposing and other worldly, like something from Tolkien or Game of Thrones.
Many buildings are decorated with large horned chairs. A significant amount of animal skins and large animal bones, particularly skulls, are incorporated into the architecture. I am reminded of the Swiss surrealist artist H. R. Giger, instrumental with the look of the movie Alien. As in the movie, you feel as if you have discovered some place abandoned by the previous inhabitants, and you’re left wondering just what the hell it was all for.
One can almost hear a heavy metal soundtrack as you wander the grounds, while looking at the odd assortment of fetishtic displays, with plenty of phallic imagery. There are also a number of live animals living there as well, two huge boa constrictors in one cage and owl in another. Even a small pony, who happened to have a 4 foot erection while I noticed a young female tourist photographing between his legs…I guess incorporating a building in the background. Probably the perfect shot.
