This year, the Italian Cultural Institute in Bangkok is among the key sponsors of the Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) 2026. This major, city-wide exhibition will run from October 29, 2026, to February 28, 2027—four months packed with exhibitions, workshops, and gatherings designed to foster a vibrant dialogue among industry professionals, the general public, and young creatives.
A unique exhibition route—winding through historic temples like Wat Arun and Wat Pho, as well as galleries and international cultural centers—will transform the metropolis into an open-air museum, bridging the past and future while offering a critique of contemporary life. This international event will feature 42 artists from around the globe, including two Italian artists representing the excellence of our country’s creativity: Renato Leotta and Piero Golia.
The theme of this edition, titled Angels & Mara, explores the dialectical opposites between the realm of goodness and that of the undesirable. The figure of the angel—derived from the Greek angelos (divine messenger)—holds a prominent place in the collective religious imagination. In Christianity, they appear as God’s messengers, possessing bird-like wings, halos, and divine radiance; in Hinduism and Buddhism, they are represented by various spirits such as devas, theps, dakinis, and nang fahs. Yet, angels have also undergone a transformation into evil: just as Satan fell into the underworld and his angels were cast down to Earth, there exist the Nephilim—monstrous beings born of the union between fallen angels and human women. Mara has multifaceted origins and embodies precisely this duality: in the Hebrew Bible, the name signifies “bitterness” and sorrow; in Buddhist cosmology, it represents death and darkness, symbolizing the darkest aspects of human nature. Mara is a demon who embodies the darkness of the world: the deluded ego, anger, hatred, and desire—forces that create obstacles to enlightenment.
Bangkok (Krung Thep)—the City of Angels—has seen its angels turn bitter and vengeful, while Mara’s temptations continue to spread their negative influence, fueling the greed, corruption, and conflict that plague the city. Against this backdrop, BAB 2026 becomes an arena where local and international artists reflect on the world we inhabit.
This event of immense international significance reaffirms Italy’s commitment to fostering intercultural dialogue, offering the public a unique experience in the beating heart of Southeast Asia.
Italian Participation
Renato Leotta
Born in Turin in 1982, Renato Leotta lives and works between Acireale and Turin. Through his multidisciplinary artistic practice, he conducts a profound and refined investigation of the landscape, exploring its memory, temporality, and organic elements. Drawing on historical, cultural, and contemporary perspectives of the Mediterranean, he examines the relationship between human beings and the environment they inhabit.
After studying at the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Turin and completing an advanced masterclass with Benjamin Weil at the Fondazione Spinola Banna in 2010, Renato Leotta established himself on the contemporary art scene with a visual style that is both poetic and rigorous. Key accolades include his nomination for the BULGARI MAXXI Prize (2019) and the Italian Fellow award at the American Academy in Rome (2018–2019). In 2022, he participated in the 17th Istanbul Biennial, further demonstrating his global artistic outlook.
Renato Leotta’s work has been exhibited in prestigious venues in Italy and abroad. Recent solo exhibitions include: Vittoria sul Sole at the Sprovieri gallery in London (2024); CONCERTINO per il mare at the Castello di Rivoli (2023); Sensibilità at Le Quai in Monaco (2023); La soglia (poesia, poesia, poesia) at MACTE in Termoli (2022); and Linea, Punto. at the Sprovieri gallery in London (2022).
His works have also been featured in major international group exhibitions, including Mutual Aid: Art in Collaboration with Nature at the Castello di Rivoli (2024); Arte Povera at the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection in Paris (2024); Terra Animata: Visions Between Art and Nature in Italy (1964–2023) at the Mattatoio in Rome (2023); as well as venues such as the Gropius Bau in Berlin (2019) and the MAC in São Paulo, Brazil (2018).
Alongside his visual practice, Renato Leotta is actively involved in creating spaces for the exchange and dissemination of contemporary art: in 2008, he founded CRIPTA474, an independent cultural center in Turin, and—in collaboration with Artissima Fair and the CRT Foundation—the magazine T-A-X-I. He has also created high-impact urban interventions, such as the installation Io sono Nato Qui (I Was Born Here), produced for the Luci d’Artista event in Turin in 2022.
Renato Leotta’s presence now extends to the heart of Southeast Asia’s dynamic cultural scene through his participation in the 2026 Bangkok Art Biennale, supported by the Italian Cultural Institute in Bangkok.
Piero Golia
A sculptor of “situations”—born in Naples in 1974—Golia has lived and worked in Los Angeles since 2002. His work demonstrates the unconventional nature of art: through original methods and models, Golia transforms matter into poetry.
His work has been featured in international venues, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and MoMA PS1 in New York. Recent solo exhibitions include Leafcutter John plays Piero Golia or viceversa at JUBG in Cologne (2024); Piero Golia: Oil Painting at Galleria Fonti in Naples (2022); and Piero Golia: RenBen at The Renaissance Society in Chicago (2022).
Regarding major international exhibitions, he has participated in significant global events, such as the 55th Venice Biennale (2013) and the Moscow Biennale (2007). His international reach extends to Southeast Asia as well, with his participation in the 2026 Bangkok Art Biennale.
