Parody museum makes you smile, laugh

Bindu Gopal Rao

Normally, art is considered serious business, with several art galleries having an elitist undertone as well. However, the Parody Art Museum in Pattaya turns this notion on its head to present a series of art work that will make you smile. Spread over a whopping 8,300 square metres, including an outdoor gallery of 6,500 square meters, the thought behind this museum was quite simple.  “Everything is art and different artists deliver art in different formats. So what we want to do here is that we want people to come and enjoy as well as engage with art through this space,” says Pubeth Pongthanapat who manages the museum. 

The museum showcases the work of both local as well as international artists. There are three zones in the museum — Purple 1F, Green 2F and Self, a studio that has an array of art work displayed. About 98 per cent of the art displayed here is painted by hand.

The museum has art that you will recognise instantly but it comes with a parody twist. As the name suggests, parody is a technique that mimics a characteristic part of the work created by someone else to make people laugh using pun or sarcasm. So you have paintings of Mona Lisa (who seems to be a popular parody muse here) transformed into Captain America and Vincent Van Gogh’s sidekick, and several other reproductions of classic art on display. You can see restructured versions of well-known art pieces and pop culture icons through drawings, sculptures and video clips. Easily one of the most Instagrammable places in Pattaya, the museum’s exhibits link the past with the present cleverly through several  paintings.

The Selfie Studio is the place where you can take a photo of yourself with various art exhibits and make yourself a part of the art, courtesy three-dimensional paintings and optical illusions. So whether you want to be the face behind ‘The Girl with the Pearl Earring’, be locked up in a jail, cuddle up to a large teddy bear or pretend to be a Barbie doll, this is where you can indulge in all your fantasies. The museum also conducts art workshops on specific dates. The in-house store is a great place to pick up souvenirs. The museum has been deigned in such a way that you can take as many photos as you want. And, the curator tells us, that’s intentional as they want people to take photos and post them on social media. The place has perfect lighting for that perfect image! 

The outdoor area also features many quirky corners for taking photos. This is set amidst lush landscape and the art here is not just in the form of paintings but also murals, sculptures and larger than life installations that are all guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Come here with an open mind and be prepared to smile. After all travel is all about immersive experiences that show a destination in myriad ways and this one does just that. A must see on your next visit to Pattaya.

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