Phuket’s international art festival showcases Thailand talent

A significant contemporary art festival is currently taking place in Phuket, displaying pieces from artists located in Thailand’s southern provinces.

The Phuket International Contemporary Art Festival, coordinated by the Phuket Arts Association, kicked off yesterday at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Talat Yai and will continue until Saturday.

The festival showcases the work of 78 artists. Among these, 43 are from Phuket, 17 are from other southern provinces, and the remaining 18 are international artists. Some of the artworks exhibited are valued at over B100,000, according to the organisers.

Rewat Areerob, President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO), officially inaugurated the festival in a ceremony at the Phuket Merlin Hotel yesterday at 6pm.

Following the opening, an auction was conducted featuring 11 paintings from artists in Phuket and Songkhla. The auction raised a total of B490,998.

A part of the raised sum, along with proceeds from other artworks sold during the festival, will be donated to the Phuket Art Association. These funds will be used for various future projects, including the organisation of the Thailand Biennale next year, reported Phuket News.

Anchalee Vanich Thepbut, president of the Phuket Arts Association, expressed her gratitude to all participating artists and the Southern International Artists Association for their support and cooperation in organising the event. She believes that this festival will help establish Phuket as a destination for creative arts and culture.

In related Phuket news, Phuket City Municipality, in its quest to deal with the growing issue of solid waste, has initiated the first public consultation on its plan to build a brand new incinerator at the Saphan Hin waste disposal site.

The meeting was led by Deputy Mayor Orapailin Trakulpriphon and took place at the meeting room of the Phuket Provincial Waste Disposal Center at Saphan Hin yesterday, March 27.

The proposal at hand involves EA Waste Management Phuket Co Ltd, a private firm, to construct and manage the new facility. The company’s Business Development Manager, Pantip Chatrangsan, was present to elaborate on their proposed role.