Art in Paradise
Thailand's first 3D illusion museum in Pattaya: step into a painted scene and become part of the picture.
Art in Paradise is Thailand's first interactive museum of three-dimensional painting. It opened in Pattaya on 2 May 2012: instead of just looking at the pictures, visitors step inside the scene and complete it with their own body - peering out of a shark's jaws, balancing over a cliff edge, or holding a painted waterfall in their palm. The museum was founded by Korean entrepreneur Shin Jae Yeol together with 11 partners, who invested more than 50 million baht in the project.
The building covers 5,800 m², making it one of the largest museums of three-dimensional art in the world. Every piece is hand-painted by a team of 12 Korean artists and grouped into ten themed rooms: underwater world, wildlife, the age of dinosaurs, ancient civilizations, surrealism, waterfalls, landscapes, classical art, and a separate room for contemporary art. Each scene is built around one exact spot to stand in - find it, and the flat mural on the wall turns into a three-dimensional set with you in the lead role.
The museum sits on Pattaya Sai Song (Second) Road, in the northern part of the city, fully indoors and air-conditioned - a good stop whether it's raining or scorching outside. It's open daily from 9:00 to 21:00. A visit usually takes an hour to ninety minutes without rushing, with stops in every room. It's best to come with someone else: most illusions only work if somebody else takes the photo. Wear something simple - getting the right shot often means crouching or lying on the floor. You can get there by rented bike or car; Pattaya has plenty of rental options.
Art in Paradise works equally well for kids and adults - the whole place is built around the surprise of an unexpected angle, nothing complicated. More than a decade after opening, it's still one of Pattaya's most recognizable photo spots: plenty of travelers come to the city specifically for a picture inside one of its illusions.
