ไทย
Thailand Biennale Phuket invites audiences to experience ‘Silent Memories, 2025’ at Khao Rang, Phuket, where breathtaking panoramic views meet a powerful site-specific artwork by Ibrahim Mahama, the Ghanaian artist ranked No. 1 on ArtReview’s list of the world’s most influential artists in 2025.
Silent Memories, 2025 is a landmark installation artwork by Ibrahim Mahama, employing a wide range of media and techniques to transform perceptions of space and context. The work reimagines Khao Rang—one of Phuket’s most popular scenic viewpoints—into a major destination for large-scale contemporary art as part of the Thailand Biennale Phuket 2025, an international contemporary art festival.
Beyond its historical landmarks, such as the 100 Years Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi Hall, which chronicles Phuket’s history including the island’s first bank, the introduction of rubber cultivation to Thailand, local transportation systems, and the everyday lives of Phuket’s people in the past, Khao Rang now also hosts the significant artwork Silent Memories, 2025.
In this work, Ibrahim Mahama presents his narrative through used agricultural commodity sacks, stitched together by the hands of countless individuals before being wrapped around the Khao Rang viewpoint pavilion. The installation resembles a second skin imbued with the scent and spirit of labor and trade. Each sack bears traces of use—stamps, stains, wear, and frayed seams. When installed amid the gaze of visitors, the sea breeze, and sunlight reflecting off their coarse surfaces, these materials are brought back to life as a monumental painterly canvas. Through collecting, stitching, patching, and reassembling, the work becomes a landscape of healing and repair.
The old burlap sacks draped over the pavilion serve as a device that leads viewers back into the history of agriculture—particularly cash crops that formed the backbone of large-scale economic systems, both formal and informal. These systems were powerful forces driving labor migration throughout Phuket’s history, when the island functioned as a source of raw materials and food, before transitioning into a world-class tourism destination. The installation invites local communities to reflect and question their own histories, while encouraging visitors to see Khao Rang from a new perspective—one that blends the pursuit of million-baht natural views with an intimate encounter with world-class contemporary art.
Silent Memories, 2025 will be on view at Khao Rang, Phuket, as part of the Thailand Biennale Phuket 2025, from 29 November 2025 to 30 April 2026 only.
