Louis Vuitton has refreshed LV The Place Bangkok, its exhibition space devoted to the brand's 'Art of Travel', and the headline change is a big one: the Trunkscape, the monumental gateway built from 96 monogrammed trunks, is becoming a rotating canvas for contemporary Thai artists. Over the coming year, three artists — Nakrob Moonmanas, Nitcha Tothong and Taiki Sakpisit — will each reinterpret the immersive video installation wrapped around the structure, in a programme curated with the Bangkok Art Biennale by Pirawuth Poshyananda and Adulaya Hoontrakul. The theme tying it together is 'The Future Of Travel – Between Memory And Imagination'.
First up is collage artist Nakrob Moonmanas, whose intervention runs from October to the end of February 2027. His work mixes classical Western art, Thai visual culture and historical imagery, so expect a layered, East-meets-West take on what travel means.
Beyond the Trunkscape, the exhibition has gained new rooms. The Origins room traces the house's beginnings as a trunk maker, with some genuinely fun pieces: an 1895 copper Canteen trunk for carrying cutlery, a 1909 Picnic trunk, and a 1932 Library trunk designed for books and writing supplies. The Asnières room, new to Bangkok, looks at the family home and atelier founded on Paris's outskirts in 1859, including Art Nouveau details like an iris-motif stained-glass window that inspired a bag in the Spring-Summer 2023 collection.
Other rooms cover the craft itself (with live artisan demonstrations in the Workshop room) and LV's famous artist collaborations — Stephen Sprouse's graffitied Monogram from 2001, the Takashi Murakami era, Yayoi Kusama's 2023 collection and Virgil Abloh's 2022 tie-up with Nigo. A Fashion room rounds things off with ready-to-wear, leather goods and accessories.
Why care? LV The Place Bangkok is free to visit and sits in the heart of the city, making it an easy, air-conditioned cultural stop between temples and street food. The rotating artist programme also means it's worth a repeat visit — the exhibition will look different depending on when you go, and it's a rare chance to see Thailand's contemporary art scene in dialogue with a global luxury house. Even if fashion isn't your thing, the vintage travel trunks alone are a treat for anyone who loves the romance of old-school journeys.
