Let's consider the paradox that is 21st century Thailand, shall we? Close your eyes and envision serene Buddhist temples, gorgeous vistas, white sand beaches and "The Hangover 2." Now this: a kind, modern culture that is open and accepting of outsiders and different lifestyles, but also one that will get vicious at any ill mention of their beloved King. As blood was (literally) poured onto the streets of Bangkok last year, we recognize that modern Thailand has never been more...

An acclaimed neo-expressionist painter in the 1980s, New York native Jean-Michel Basquiat was best known for creating socially-conscientious paintings.  Basquiat started out as a graffiti artist in the 70s, when he produced art under the name of SAMO. Incorporating elements such as text, numbers and logos into his works, Basquiat’s paintings touch on issues including class struggle and racism. By the time the Brookyn-born talent died of a heroin overdose at the age of 27, he was...

Drop by Central's Statue Square Gardens anytime through July 6th and you'll definitely spot the eye-catching, to-scale sculpture of an elephant balancing itself on the back of a squatting man. The nifty installation is inspired by a sketch—"Pentatueque"—from acclaimed French artist Fabien Mérelle, whose first solo exhibition in Hong Kong debuts just in time for the city's biggest week for art lovers. Trained in both France and China (by masters Chen...

Fang Hui's teachers and classmates used to call him the "Violet Killer," though it's not because he would ultimately wind up as a character on "Dexter." No, it's a bit less hardcore than that—as a youth, he used to insist on drawing blue violets on his sketches of scenery. See? Pretty tame, but thankfully, what Fang lacks in intimidating nickname backstories he makes up for in stunning portraits of young Chinese faces, which are not only incredibly...

Burma is a country rapidly opening itself to the world, and with less censorship and control comes more opportunity for artistic expression. With that in mind, Khin Zaw Latt is a very interesting story. An oil painting major at Yangon's University of Culture, he has won two prestigious Asian art awards in the last five years and is the rising star of Burmese art, attracting serious attention from collectors worldwide. Following up his "Buddha" and "Moving Forward"...