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Colourful Art and Culture in Phuket Thailand

Art and Culture in Phuket

Phuket has recently re-opened for tourism again and you can read all about it in our article here. However, we all know that Phuket is famous for its beautiful beaches and pristine sands. So what do you do when it’s raining, or you just fancy seeing some art and culture?  We discovered some very cool arty places in Phuket, beginning with a very interesting community of artists, at Phuket Art Village, located in Rawai.

Phuket Art Village

The colourful and bohemian Phuket Art Village was founded a few years ago and is located a short drive from Phuket Old Town. The community consists of 7 artists (and several of their pet cats), all living and working in a brightly painted, rambling complex in a small courtyard dominated by a giant banyan tree.

Recycling Abandoned Materials & Transforming into Art

The artists scour the nearby beaches to find driftwood and other abandoned objects which they transform into paintings,  sculptures and other art works.

Unique and Colourful Art

Their art is unique, colourful and sometimes quite quirky. The driftwood which is used as a base for many of their works is mainly washed up remnants of broken wooden boats which would normally just be end up as litter or be burned. By recycling the wood, they are giving it a second life and enabling others to benefit from the result of their creativity.

Artist Pui Ngowsiri

We got chatting to artist Pui Ngowsiri who explained that although the situation with the pandemic had been very difficult for all of them, it had given him a chance to focus on his creativity and he had been using this time to produce even more art work than usual. His studio is filled with colourful art – some of it fun and playful other pieces a little bit haunting.

Piu also sells beautiful and very useful maps of the area.

We walked around the various studios which are all intertwined in this art complex and enjoyed seeing the eclectic mix of painting and sculptures and artefacts.

A Large variety of Vibrant Art

There is a lot of variety and each artist has his signature look. Phuket Art Village is a vibrant and bohemian place where you can see all forms of art work but best of all you can meet and talk to the artists themselves and discover the stories behind each of the pieces.

Phuket Art Village

Address: 28/68 Soi Naya 2, Rawai, Phuket, Thailand.

Tip: Do bring along cash with you in case you find something that you like.

You can find out more about Phuket Art Village here: Phuket Art Village

Thai Hua Museum in Phuket

We also visited the Thai Hua Museum which is housed in a beautiful Sino-Portuguese building on the Krabi Road in the Old Town of Phuket. It’s an old school building which has been converted into a museum and exhibition space. It’s very highly regarded for it role in conserving architectural arts in the country and has a number of very interesting exhibits.

You can also see some short films in Thai and Chinese (with English subtitles) telling the history of Phuket through the ages.

Thai Hua Museum in Phuket is one of the most revered old houses in Phuket.

Thai Hua Museum in Phuket

Location: 28 Krabi Road, Talad Nuea, Phuket Town, Phuket 83000, Thailand

Open: Daily from 9am to 5pm

Phone: +66 (0) 76 211 224

Baan Ar Jor Restaurant, Museum & Homestay

We visited Baan Ar Jor and after a most delicious lunch at their on-site restaurant (definitely worth booking!), we went for a tour of the Baan Ar Jor family house and museum. It is full of family memories, original features and household paraphernalia from decades gone by which has all been lovingly preserved by the family. We were lucky enough to have a tour of the museum by the grandson of the original owners who regaled us with stories and family anecdotes.

It also has a few quirky and fun pieces … and lots of quotations everywhere.

As well as a museum there are actually rooms in the house which you can rent as the house also operates as a “homestay”, which is a bit like a B&B.

The house also occupies a beautiful location with lovely views.

Baan Ar-Jor

Address: 102 Thepkasattri Rd. Thalang District. Phuket Phuket, Thailand 83110

For more information about Baan Ar-Jor see here: Baan Ar-Jor บ้านอาจ้อ

Phuket’s Oldest Hotel – The Memory at On On Hotel

There are several Sino-Portuguese buildings in the Phuket Old Town, including the first hotel in Phuket, made famous by Learnardo DiCaprio in the film The Beach. It’s called The Memory at On On Hotel and opened in 1929. The architecture is typical Sino-Portuguese with two open courtyards and beautiful tiled floors. It is still operating today as an hotel in Phuket Old Town.

The Memory at On On Hotel

Address: 19 Phangnga Road, Talat Yai, Muang, Phuket 83000, Thailand

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