“Inviting artists to live and work inside the market was never about bringing outside knowledge to teach the community; it was about offering a new mirror for the vendors to appreciate the inherent beauty of their everyday craft.”

Chiang Rai has long been celebrated as Thailand’s "City of Artists," home to over 300 practitioners and more than 60 galleries and independent studios. Yet the 2nd Pagad Festival opened up an unprecedented dialogue by inviting external artists and researchers to immerse themselves directly within the daily rhythm of a municipal fresh market for an entire week.

Named “Pagad Residency: Pa Peuan Yuen Heuan” (a Lanna phrase meaning “Meeting Friends, Visiting Homes”), this residency program by Everywhere Gallery selected creators through an open call, providing stipends, accommodations, and an open testing ground to foster deep cross-pollination between local knowledge and global perspectives.

Transcending Boundaries: Cross-Disciplinary Exploration

Rather than focusing solely on traditional studio formats, the residency encouraged cross-disciplinary experimentation linking contemporary art with natural sciences, botany, digital media, and heritage crafts.

Groundbreaking Works from the Residency

1. Phak Kad-cimen / Archive of Ordinary Lives

A collaboration between Dr. Prateep Panyadee (Biodiversity Researcher, Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden) and Bee Poomirat (Floral Artist and Koringka Practitioner, Backyard Blooming)

An installation bridging scientific taxonomy with visual art. The creators collected voucher specimens of culinary herbs and indigenous vegetables sold in the market, methodically pressing and archiving them alongside botanical data. Accompanied by public plant-pressing workshops, the installation challenges viewers to view humble market produce as vital genetic heritage and food security that must be safeguarded.

2. Lum Light & Projection Mapping 101

By Thanthai Pornchanthong (Summer & Co. Design Studio) in collaboration with Kad Luang merchants

Transforming dim night alleys into an immersive digital environment, "Lum Light" (Lum meaning delicious in Lanna) illuminated the market's culinary vibrancy through digital projections and light design. Thanthai also led a hands-on Projection Mapping workshop for emerging local artists, expanding digital art literacy across Chiang Rai.

3. Zodiac Maze (Infinite Maze & Octave Maze)

A collaboration between Wit Pimkanchanapong (Contemporary Artist) and the Tai Lue Women Weavers of Ban Sri Don Chai, Chiang Khong

A kinetic art installation weaving together celestial astrology, maze navigation, and traditional Tai Lue textile techniques. The delicate, shifting threads evoke the cyclical nature of time and human destiny while celebrating northern weaving craftsmanship.

4. Concurrent

A collaboration between the Green World Foundation and 9 Chiang Rai contemporary artists

Born out of the "Chiang Rai Wild Watch" urban biodiversity survey, this concurrent exhibition invited artists to translate field data from five naturalist disciplines into thought-provoking artworks, investigating how human urban spaces and nature can coexist harmoniously.

An Enduring Exchange

The residency fostered lasting ties between botanists, indigenous weavers, digital designers, and local vendors, proving that a traditional wet market can serve as an inspiring laboratory for international cultural discourse.

(Stay updated via Facebook: Everywhere Gallery)