Life is short, but art is long, and so is the Bangkok gallery list now that an Alexander Calder is in town!

As part of Dib Bangkok’s second edition of Giving Life, running from 29 September 2026 to 3 May 2027, an Alexander Calder piece – Untitled (1963) – is coming to Bangkok, marking over 50 years since a work by the American sculptor was last shown in Thailand. Presented alongside over 160 works from 33 Thai and international artists, the upcoming exhibition will focus on the vitality of art: how we breathe life into art and whether it is art that gives us life.

Calder’s works are a perfect example of this theme. His hanging ‘mobiles’ – a term coined by his friend Marcel Duchamp (you know, the Dadaist who revolutionised art with a porcelain urinal) – catch the wind and seem to start moving on their own as kinetic sculptures powered by the elements. Some might know Calder better for his ‘stabiles’: gigantic, stationary sculptures rooted to the ground. But this provokes the question: does art need movement to approach life, or is it movement alone that gives a thing a lifelike quality?

Usually, seeing a Calder requires a long-haul flight and a ticket to MoMA, the Guggenheim or The Met in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris or Tate Modern in London. But Dib Bangkok is now bringing the master right to the capital, alongside Izumi Kato, Caitlin Keogh, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Tobias Rehberger, Cecilia Vicuña, Meriem Bennani and Yukinori Yanagi. The showcase also highlights Thailand’s artistic ingenuity with works by Rirkrit Tiravanija, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Sutee Kunavichayanont and Vasan Sitthiket.

The second edition of Giving Life reminds us of a pivotal moment in Thai art history. The year was 1975, the end of the Vietnam War: the Bhirasri Institute of Modern Art (Thailand’s first public gallery) hosted Calder’s Circus, bringing his work to the country for the first time. Meanwhile, the local scene was on fire. Caught in a turbulent political period, young Thai artists were making their voices heard, emerging as part of the “Art for Life” movement and making sure that art didn’t just sit in galleries but actually spoke to the struggles of ordinary men and women. It’s “giving life” in the truest sense.

Located right between Rama IV Road and Sukhumvit Soi 40, Dib Bangkok welcomes visitors Thursday through Monday, 10am to 7pm (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Be sure to check their official website and social media platforms for the latest updates and visitor details.