Photo by Thanate Tan (CC BY 2.0)
Black House
The Black House is a complex of 40 buildings, most made of dark teak wood, set in large, beautiful gardens. In Thai known as Baan Dam, meaning Black House, the buildings house a collection of paintings, sculptures, silver and gold items, animal bones and skins.
40 Houses
Baan Dam is the work of Thai artist Thawan Duchanee, who started the project in 1975 and lived in several of the houses.
On the grounds are about 40 houses in various shapes and sizes built from wood, concrete, brick, glass and terracotta; most of them are in black. The Black House is set in large grounds with trees, rock gardens and sculptures.
Various styles
The architecture of the Black House is a mix of Lanna, Laotian and South East Asian styles, both traditional and modern.
There is a great variety in styles; a number of the wooden buildings adorned with very intricate carvings are built in the traditional style of Lanna; a few modern structures resemble white igloos.
The main building
The main building is a very large, dark teak wood house in the traditional style of the North.
Inside are several unusual objects. On a huge table you can see an enormous snake skin as well as a very large crocodile. Other things to see include several paintings, antlers, buffalo skulls, large seashells, furniture decorated with buffalo horns and wood carvings. There is also a huge golden Hintha bird, in Hinduism the vehicle of Brahma.
The main building contains a shrine dedicated to the creator of the Black House, Thawan Duchanee.
Art works
The 40 buildings house the artists collection of paintings, sculptures, silver and gold items as well as animal bones, skins and a huge number of buffalo horns.
The collection of bones, skulls and skins are meant to stimulate the imagination and serve as inspiration to create paintings.
The art works are Lanna, Thai, Burmese and Balinese. Several Thai pieces date back to the Ayutthaya era.
The creator of Baan Dam
The Black House was created by Thawan Duchanee, a contemporary architect, painter and sculptor from Chiang Rai who passed away in 2014. His paintings often portray the Buddha as well as mythological creatures, beasts and demons.
Themes
The main theme of Baan Dam is “The darkness of the heart of man”. You will also find themes from Buddhism like death and rebirth or the cycle of birth, ageing and decay. Another theme is suffering caused by human desire, represented by large phalluses in several of the houses.
Photo by Thanate Tan (CC BY 2.0)
Food & drinks
Food, drinks and ice cream are available at stalls opposite the entrance. There are a few souvenir stands as well.
Location
The Black House is located at 414 Moo 13 Nanglae, just off Phahonyothin Road (Highway 1), about 10 kilometers North of Chiang Rai town.
How to get there
The most comfortable way to get there is by metered taxi.
The price of a tuk tuk depends on your bargaining skills. A round trip from Chiang Rai town including waiting time would come to 400 to 500 Baht. Agree on price and duration of the trip before getting in.
Hire a car with driver for the day or book a tour if you also want to visit the nearby White Temple and Blue Temple.
Opening hours
The Black House opens daily from 9 am until 5 pm. The ticket counter is closed for lunch between 12 noon and 1 pm.
The grounds can get busy, especially around the main building.
Entrance fee
Admission is 80 Thai Baht per person.
Other Chiang Rai attractions:
