Australia’s Museum Of Old And New Art Expands to Thailand

The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania, has announced plans to open an outpost in Thailand, marking its first international expansion. Dubbed MONA Bangkok, the institution will be developed in partnership with Thai real estate company Asset World Corporation (AWC) and located on the banks of the Chao Phraya river, with its opening slated for 2029. MONA Bangkok will reportedly be twice the size of its Australian counterpart. As part of a 15-year agreement, AWC will own and oversee the museum’s construction and operations, while MONA will be in charge of the collection, curatorial vision, and exhibitions. Under the direction of Leigh Carmichael, chief executive officer of MONA’s creative subsidiary DarkLab, the project will conceptually revolve around “light.” In a statement, Carmichael noted, “Light has long been a source of fascination, reflection, and hope across cultures, and it feels especially resonant in Bangkok.” He added, “Like the museum in Hobart, it will be unconventional and unique, [presenting] work by leading international artists, while also creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue with Thai artists, audiences, and cultural traditions.”

Tromarama Debuts Video Installation in New York’s Times Square

Indonesian collective Tromarama—comprising artists Febie Babyrose, Ruddy Hatumena, and Herbert Hans—is currently showcasing a new commission for the digital art exhibition “Midnight Moment” at Times Square in New York. Titled Turn On #2 (2026), the installation is being screened across more than 90 billboards in Midtown Manhattan every night from 11:57 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. through July 31. The work features looped footage of electronic fans interspersed with various scenes of ordinary items—from candles and plastic bags to plants—that appear to sway in the wind. As the cause-and-effect relationship between the fans and the objects becomes increasingly ambiguous, Turn On #2 examines the sensorial impact of technology and how it shapes our memory, identity, and perception of virtual and physical realities. The project was conceived through a partnership between Times Square Arts and New York’s nonprofit art space The Kitchen, which recently hosted Tromarama’s first institutional exhibition in the US, titled “Upon a Machine.”

Hoor Al-Qasimi Appointed President of Sharjah Museums Authority

The Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA) has named Hoor Al-Qasimi—president and director of the Sharjah Art Foundation—as its new president. Established in 2006, SMA helms 16 museums across the emirate dedicated to Islamic art and culture, archaeology, history, science, and more, aiming to enhance “Sharjah’s identity locally and internationally” and “contribute in nurturing a community aware of museums’ importance as a cultural, educational, and enjoyable destination,” according to its mission statement. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, Supreme Council member and the incumbent ruler of Sharjah, issued the news on July 7, following Hoor Al-Qasimi’s recent appointment as the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization’s 2025–26 Ambassador Extraordinary for Arab Culture. A seasoned curator and influential cultural figure in the UAE, she has served as the director of the Sharjah Biennial since 2003 alongside leading various important art events across the globe, including the 2025 Aichi Triennale in Japan and the 2026 Biennale of Sydney in Australia. 

THE BRIJ to Open in New Delhi

New Delhi is set to welcome a mixed-use cultural center, THE BRIJ, in 2028. Construction has already begun for the new venue, which will be located on a former quartzite quarry near Aravalli Biodiversity Park. Initiated by New Delhi’s nonprofit Serendipity Arts and designed by London-based CRAB Studio alongside India’s CP Kukreja Architects, the 130,000-square-meter complex will feature curved buildings within a “waffle grid” layout inspired by the traditional Indo-Persian-style Charbagh Gardens, embodying the concept of ecosophy—a philosophy foregrounding sustainability and environmental interconnectedness. THE BRIJ will house six pavilions dedicated to exhibitions, interdisciplinary research, residencies, and more. Serendipity Arts, Paris’s Centre National des Arts Plastiques (Cnap), and the French embassy in India recently announced details of the inaugural exhibition. The show will be co-curated by a French Indian scientific committee led by Pascal Beausse and Vidya Shivadas, gathering existing and newly commissioned projects by approximately 50 contemporary artists and works from Cnap’s public collection.