Heaven and hell - Chiang Rai's white heaven and black hell

Chiang Rai (清萊) is located in the far north of Thailand, bordering Myanmar (緬甸) and Laos (寮國). However, the reason countless visitors to Chiang Rai are left with a profound impression has more to do with than just its location. The city is also home to two rather eccentric artists who have created heaven and hell in the town.

The pristine white of Wat Rong Khun is quite literally heavenly, and an astonishing sight to behold. The celebrated Thai artist Chaloemchai Khositphiphat began design and construction of the temple in 1998, and it is still far from completed. The temple complex and its meticulously carved Buddhist sculptures are constructed from white stucco, inlaid with bright silver strips, and dotted with colorful mirrored glass. Through the construction of Wat Rong Khun, the artist hopes to urge the world to renounce evil and do good.

In stark contract to the heavenly white temple lies the Black Temple (黑廟), a place that leaves one with a deep sense of gloom and fear. In fact, the 'Black Temple' merely resembles a temple, for apart from its external temple-like appearance it is no other than the Black House, Museum of Art and Culture. The Black House is the creation of another Chiang Rai artist, Thawan Duchanee, who built the structure in 1984.

The artist has collected an unimaginable range of death-related imagery from around the world, including animal skins, bones, horns, sculptures, killing equipment, and his own paintings, as well as an array of dazzling and strange oddities beyond description. The main building of this distinctively black structure that contains nearly 40 teak-wood columns, often hosts painting exhibitions, and welcomes applications from art-loving novice painters from around the world.

PeoPo 公民新聞 by ellenlee

Heaven and hell - Chiang Rai's white heaven and black hell
URL:http://www.peopo.org/news/110559

(以下是中文對照)

天堂與地獄 清萊的白廟與黑廟

清萊府位在泰國的最北邊，與緬甸和寮國交界，許多人對清萊印象深刻的不止於此，它還孕育了兩位鬼才藝術家，分別創造了清萊的天堂與地獄。白廟(Wat Rong Khun)，看起來就有如天堂般的純白潔淨，這座全然白色到令人嘆為觀止的寺廟，自1998年開始由泰國著名藝術家 Chaloemchai Khositphiphat 設計建造，時至今日仍未全部完成，寺廟整體以白色灰泥做繁複細膩的雕塑裝飾，鑲嵌以亮銀色條帶，點綴上五顏六色的鏡面玻璃，藝術家藉著白廟的設計，勸慰世人應棄惡從善。

相對於白廟有如天堂般的潔白，清萊的黑廟帶給人們的感受，卻是那麼深沉地陰鬱與恐懼。其實黑廟並不是廟，它真正的名稱是黑屋博物館(Black House, Museum of Art and Culture.)，只是它的建築物外觀，與寺廟相似，出生於清萊的另一位藝術家，Thawan Duchanee，在1984年興建了黑屋，他搜集來自世界各地，數量多到無法想像的有關於死亡意象的物品，有動物皮、骨骸、牛角、雕塑、殺戮器械等，包括他自己的畫作，以及琳瑯滿目又千奇百怪的收藏，容納在近40棟以柚木為主建材，建造出別具特色的黑色建築中，偌大的主建築裡經常舉辦藝術畫作展覽，開放給世界各國對藝術愛好的新手畫家申請展出。