Courtesy of Kader Attia, Groundcontrol, and the Jim Thompson Art Center, photo by Thitaphat Chimprasert.

Gridthiya Gaweewong’s curatorial work emphasizes small narratives and alternate histories that critically address socio-political contexts. Rooted in translocalism, her projects often explore regional and global connections. Her ongoing research examines social transformations impacting artists in Thailand and beyond since the Cold War. She recently co-directed the Thailand Biennale, Chiang Rai, alongside Rirkrit Tiravanija, using her hometown as a locus of artistic inquiry. The project explores Chiang Rai’s rich historical and cultural heritage, challenging the absence and notion of "contemporary art”. Inspired by the Buddha image myth and Chiang Saen’s 13th-century archaeology, the Biennale examined micro-histories and border dynamics, drawing on James Scott’s Zomia concept to highlight the multicultural fabric shaped by migration along the border from North of India, South China to the North of Thailand. By blending myths, archaeology, ecology and new border economy, the Biennale fostered dialogue between Chiang Rai, its neighbors, and the world. It seeks to shift from national-centric narratives to regional and global perspectives, envisioning equitable futures through community collaboration.

Gridthiya Gaweewong is an Artistic Director and curator of the Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok. Her curated projects within Asia, Europe and the Americas include Imagined Borders, the 12th Gwangju Biennale (2018); Between Utopia and Dystopia, Mexico City (2011); Unreal Asia, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, Oberhausen (2009); and Under Construction, Tokyo (2000–2002). Gaweewong was a guest curator of an exhibition Apichatpong Weerasethakul: The Serenity in Madness that toured six cities (2016–2020), initiated by the Independent Curators International (ICI). A 2018 fellow at the Center for Curatorial Leadership, MoMA, New York, Gridthiya is also a member of the acquisition committee for the Singapore Art Museum since 2020. She was awarded the French Ministry of Culture’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2023, and Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence from Bard College (CCS Bard) in 2025. Currently Gridthiya serves as a member of the Finding Committee for Artistic Direction of Documenta 16.