Udomsak Krisanamis's Chiang Mai

Enter Udomsak Krisanamis’s sanctuary of Chiang Mai as he revels in his hideouts and haunts in the historic capital of northern Thailand.

On the heels of exhibitions Toi et Moi (2025) at Galerie Chantel Crousel, Paris and Light My Way (2024) at neugerriemschneider, Berlin, Krisanamis talks creature comforts closer to home. Away from the frenzy of the 1990s New York art scene where he first dipped his toes—and subsequently Bangkok in the 2000s—the artist paints an idyllic portrait of the city where his eclectic style took root.

Can you share a secret place in Chiang Mai where you escape to be alone, regroup, reset and recharge? 

I don’t have any secret place. I go to my happy place, Chiang Mai municipal stadium. Here, there are lots of activities you can do: running, badminton, basketball etc. Most of the time I will play ping pong with the locals—mostly retired Japanese seniors. Sometimes I play Pétanque too.

Which 5 songs would you include in a soundtrack to Chiang Mai and why?

1. “Life In A Northern Town.” This jam pops up right away when I think about the city. It takes me back the glamorous 80s.
2. “Sao Chiang Mai.” Everyone had this cassette when it came out. Great songs written. Beautiful melody but this particular song makes me cry whenever I hear it.
3. “Midnight Love Affair.” One night in Bangkok last year, a friend put this on while we were in the van on the way to an afterparty. It was the first time I heard it and I carried on listening again and again back in Chiang Mai.
4. “Never Gonna Reach Me.” A perfect driving tune for day and night.
5. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto in A major, K.622.” My favourite composer. I heard its Adagio movement the first time in the movie Out Of Africa and fell in love right away. It delivers sense of calm and nostalgia; for me, it’s the sound of this chilling city.

What is your favourite food to eat in Chiang Mai, and who cooks it best?

Khao Soi is my favorite food to eat.
Kaosoi Manee.
Kuay Taew Tum lung.
My wife’s cooking at home is the best. 🤩

Do you prefer walking, driving, taking the subway or the bus? Share a route that you love.

You need a car or a moped to get around. I like driving everywhere in Chiang Mai, getting lost from time to time in a little lane makes you feel very present.

Are there any artists living in Chiang Mai that you particularly admire? What is it about their work that resonates with you and reveals something unknown about where you live?

Rirkrit Tiravanija, a friend. We’ve known each other forever. We collaborate and exchange ideas about music and film .

A good record shopping mate.

What recurring events—perhaps a natural phenomenon, a cultural festival, or an unusual tradition—feel most unique here?

You might heard of the Songkran festival. People look forward to it every year. It is huge here. It’s also a family day.

Describe a local superstition. How does it affect people’s daily lives? Do you subscribe to this yourself? 

I think it’s not that different from everywhere else. For example, the black cat brings bad luck, and the trees have spirits. But the exceptional one is that if you hear a gecko chirping in your house, you might get a chance to win the lottery.

Once I adopted a black cat that had lost one of its legs.

We also adopted a blind black cat. Her name is Kuro. She stayed with us for 5 years and passed away in 2023.

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Street View invites inspiring figures from art and culture to paint personal portraits of their home cities, with questions written by Singapore-based artist Heman Chong tapping into secrets, sounds, songs, tastes, smells and superstitions.