OPEN CALL:Applications open for 2026 Material Touch Points workshop by Dib Bangkok
Dib Bangkok will host a symposium including an intensive workshop on object-based research and a subsequent public forum exploring the “Material Touch Points” between contemporary objects of Southeast Asian art and global art histories.
Material Touch Points focuses on a persistent tension in modern and contemporary art narratives in Thailand and the region over the past three decades: the division between object-focused formal analysis and socially grounded contextual readings. How did the division between object-focused approaches and socially grounded readings become entrenched? And how might transnational perspectives combine with close readings of contemporary artworks to unsettle this divide?
The intensive three-day program is designed to immerse select participants in a rigorous schedule of artwork analysis, roundtable discussion, and presentations. During the program, participants will undertake concentrated study and writing on an artwork in the collection. Proceedings will be published following the symposium. Material Touch Points offers a unique opportunity to learn various curatorial methodologies from leading scholars and selected participants through deep mentorship and dialogue. This program is targeted toward art historians, curators, and art scholars at an early stage in their career, working independently or within institutions.
Hosted by Dib Bangkok, Material Touch Points is led by Kevin Chua (Associate Professor, 18th and 19th-century European and Southeast Asian Art History, Texas Tech University), Pamela Corey (Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Fulbright University Vietnam), and Kenji Chanon Praepipatmongkol (Assistant Professor of Contemporary Art, McGill University). Applications are now open to select six researchers and practitioners from the region. This workshop directs critical art historical and curatorial perspectives toward the intersection of materiality and concept, facilitating grounded case study with the aim of connecting contemporary artworks with global artistic and intellectual currents. By tracing the “material touch points” between contemporary objects and global art histories, the symposium creates a platform for generative exchange across multiple modernisms and the tensions embedded therein.
Eligibility
–Open to scholars from Southeast Asia and East Asia 
–Applicants must be currently based in Southeast Asia and East Asia
–Applicants should have published writing related to contemporary art and art history
–Applicants must be at least 22 years old
–Applicants must be able to communicate in English
Applicants must be available to arrive in Bangkok on December 17, 2026 and participate in the full program from December 18–20, 2026.
Support
Selected participants will receive: Round-trip airfare; Accommodation; Daily per diem; Opportunity to forge a close network of peers; Opportunity to publish writing with Dib Bangkok.
Submission guidelines
To apply, please submit the following materials:
–Curriculum Vitae (CV) two pages maximum.
–An introduction summarizing your background in contemporary art and art history, past research, and key accomplishments (100-word limit).
–An original Statement of Purpose related to the topic of Material Touch Points (500-word limit). The statement should speak to the following: Your current research; How your work may relate or complement the exhibitions, programming or mission of Dib Bangkok; What you aim to get out of the program and how you plan to integrate your learnings into your practice
–A selection of one to two published writing samples. The samples can be excerpted from longer publications but must be cohesive and understandable in excerpts (maximum 5,000 words total).
–Two signed letters of recommendation from scholars or mentors in the field who are familiar with your research. Specify recommenders by providing their names, professional titles, and contact details. Recommendation letters can be combined with other application materials or sent directly by the recommender to programs@dibbangkok.org with the Subject Line “Material Touch Points [Applicant Last Name] [Applicant First Name] Recommendation”
Application materials should be combined into a single PDF file titled [Last name]_[First name]. Applications can be submitted in English or Thai. Late applications, incomplete applications, and applications exceeding the specified word counts will be disqualified.
Submission deadline: 11:59pm, July 31, 2026 (GMT+7). Send applications to: programs@dibbangkok.org. Subject Line: Application for Material Touch Points. More information: dibbangkok.org / @dibbangkok
About Dib Bangkok
Dib Bangkok (pronounced like the English word “dip”) is Thailand’s first major non-profit institution dedicated to international contemporary art. Led by Purat (Chang) Osathanugrah, an influential Thai business leader and educator, Dib Bangkok builds on the legacy of his late father, Petch Osathanugrah, whose renowned art collection forms the museum’s foundation. Under Purat’s leadership, the collection takes on a new direction as a public-facing institution dedicated to international contemporary art.
Comprising over 1,000 works by more than 200 artists from Thailand and around the world, the Dib collection focuses on works that challenge perception, spark dialogue, and invite reflection on the complexities of human experience. Valuing art as the finest fruits of imagination and creativity, the museum offers a serene and meditative space for visitors to pause, reflect, and experience the present moment through art.
The inaugural Director, Dr. Miwako Tezuka, brings expertise from prominent New York institutions, including Japan Society Gallery, Asia Society Museum, and Arakawa and Madeline Gins’s Reversible Destiny Foundation. Curator Ariana Chaivaranon contributes experience shaped by institutions including Harvard Art Museums, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing.