Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center

Think of this as the modern counterweight to a day of temples and palaces. It's a contemporary art center on Ratchadamnoen Klang, the wide ceremonial boulevard that runs between the Grand Palace end of town and Democracy Monument, and the exhibitions rotate, so what's on when you go is anyone's guess until you look it up.

That rotation is the whole point, and it's also my one caveat. I wouldn't cross Bangkok for it without checking the program first at rcac84.com, because you might land between shows or find something that isn't your thing. Fold it into a walking route through Phra Nakhon instead, when the heat has beaten you and you want an hour indoors with work that isn't a Buddha image. The scale is small enough to take slowly, which suits the kind of art that rewards standing still. Anyone with a real interest in how Thai identity plays out in modern practice will get more from it than a casual drop-in will.