Forty dark buildings
Black timber, glass and clay.
Szwendam się — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand — CC BY 2.0 · Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand — CC BY 2.0 · Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand — CC BY 2.0
The artistic opposite of the White Temple: a complex of some forty dark buildings of black timber, glass and clay, created over decades by Thai artist Thawan Duchanee in a large garden north of town, known as the Black House. The artist, who died in 2014, was among Thailand's best-known painters, and set out here to show the dark side of human nature. The highlight is a large northern-style hall with a steep roof, holding a long wooden table and massive chairs, alongside other buildings in strange shapes. Inside is the artist's collection of horns, skulls, bones, animal skins and carved furniture, displayed like some mysterious ritual. Entry is eighty baht, and the museum opens from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon. Wandering the garden between the buildings takes about an hour. A note for families: the skins, bones and dark symbolism can upset young children and some visitors, so know this beforehand. The visit is usually combined with the White and Blue Temples in a single day.
Black timber, glass and clay.
One of Thailand's great painters.
Darkness versus purity.
Nang Lae, about 12 km north of Chiang Rai town
No, it is a museum and private art collection, not a place of worship, although its architecture draws on northern temples.