The Collector | Thai tycoon’s son Kit Bencharongkul to help father’s Bangkok museum move with the times
- The founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Boonchai Bencharongkul, hands the reins to his son
- The photographer and pop star plans to modernise, edit and expand the collection beyond Buddhist art
The museum is accessible in terms of its affordable entrance fee – 250 baht (US$8) for adults – and its opening hours (open all week except Mondays), but the out-of-the-way location means it wasn’t exactly packed during The Collector’s recent visit. Last year, it received a modest 62,000 visitors, 80 per cent of whom were from overseas and, like us, may have had trouble finding the place.
Getting there is about to get easier. A train route connecting Bang Sue MRT station to Don Mueang international airport is due to open at the end of the year, and one of its stations, Bang Khen, is within walking distance of Moca.
Boonchai’s 31-year-old son, Kanachai “Kit” Bencharongkul, who has been in charge of Moca’s day-to-day operations since 2018, is preparing for a new chapter for the family institute.
“The new station means it will be easier for touriststo come to Moca,” he says. “We hope the train will start in time for the opening of the Bangkok Art Biennale [on October 10]. We are going to have a few cool shows then.”
