NOVA Contemporary

NOVA is a small, cutting-edge gallery that specializes in Thai and international contemporary art. It is a renovation of an old restaurant that was once operating on the ground floor of a non-descript high-rise residential condominium tower in downtown Bangkok. It was a turn-key project where design qua got involved with the owners from the initial step of finding the right location for the gallery.

The gallery is divided into 3 usage zones -gallery, office and reception. A small gallery space on the mezzanine level overlooks the larger gallery space. These 2 distinctly different art-viewing spaces are divided by a partial 2-way glass curtain wall that allows visitors in the larger gallery downstairs a partial glimpse of what is happening on the mezzanine level above. Many artists subsequently chose to use the smaller and more mysterious mezzanine space for their video screenings. Raw and perforated steel is used throughout to contrast the smaller spaces with the pristine white walls of the large gallery room.