Bangkok is gearing up to host what is being touted as Asia's largest ever LGBTQ contemporary art exhibition this November.

The newly announced “Spectrosynthesis II: Exposure of Tolerance: LGBTQ in Southeast Asia” is the expanded second edition of an exhibition that ran at Taipei’s Museum of Contemporary Art in 2017.

A collaboration between the Hong Kong-based Sunpride Foundation and Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre (BACC), the event proclaims to be the “largest-ever survey of regional contemporary art that explores gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and queer creative history in Southeast Asia and beyond.”

At a press conference held at the BACC on Jan 9 it was announced that over 200 works by 50 artists from various Asia countries will go on display here from Nov 23 until Mar 2020.

Confirmed artists include Thailand’s Michael Shaowanasai, Arin Runjang and Jakkai Siributr, Dinh Q. Le and Danh Vo from Vietnam, Maria Taniguchi from the Philippines and Ming Wong from Singapore. There will also be work on display from the late Chinese photographer Ren Hang and India’s Sunil Gupta, who will showcase selections from his standout “The New Pre-Raphaelites” photo series. A strong proportion of the pieces will be new commissions. 

Organizers cited Thailand’s progressive stance on LGBTQ rights—with the Thai government last year announcing a new bill backing same-sex civil partnerships—as key to staging the event in Bangkok. Alongside the art, Spectrosynthesis II will also include film screenings, live performances and forums on gender-related issues.