New museum brings Thai artist Tang Chang back into focus

The inaugural exhibition at the Tang Chang Private Museum near Bangkok features this monumental diptych by its namesake, Chang Sae-tang, better known as Tang Chang. (All photos courtesy of the Tang Chang Private Museum)

NAKHON PATHOM, Thailand -- Two works in different buildings dominate the inaugural exhibition at the Tang Chang Private Museum. One is a monumental canvas covered in thick, swirling black paint, with the artist's handprints visible. The other is an only slightly smaller self-portrait of torment in which a figure sits eyeless yet staring, its handless arms ending in blurred reddish stumps. Neither piece bears a title.