The S.O.E Festival 2025 is approaching quickly, and it’s going to be unforgettable!
S.O.E 2025 : Sound of Era
A Contemporary Art Festival Echoing the Voices of History, Humanity, and Hope
S.O.E 2025: Sound of Era will be a powerful collective cry an evocative symphony of cultural diversity, historical memory, and the enduring belief in human equality. This year’s festival will expand its footprint across three provinces in Northeastern Thailand: Si Chiang Mai and Tha Bo districts in Nong Khai, Mueang district in Udon Thani, and will culminate in Khon Kaen the birthplace of the S.O.E initiative.
This edition aims to weave together the threads of contemporary history, society, and culture through the dynamic processes of contemporary art. With a strong focus on the Mekong River region, S.O.E 2025 will highlight the potential of these cross-border localities to foster awareness, stimulate the creative economy, and enhance cooperation between local and international communities.
Over 50 artists, scholars, and cultural practitioners from across the globe will take part in this artistic operation, co-creating and shaping a body of work that reflects overlapping histories, collective wartime memories, human rights struggles, and the transformations of nature and the environment.
At the heart of this exploration is the Mekong River a symbol of connection, memory, and life framing the borderland context of the region and inspiring a sound-based thematic structure:
Voices of the Past: Echoes of War and Shared Suffering
S.O.E 2025 delves into the war-torn history of the region, questioning how memories of the Vietnam and Indochina Wars continue to haunt the landscapes and lives of the Isan and Mekong communities. Many areas served as strategic buffer zones, bearing witness to displacement, loss, and long-lasting community impact. Artists selected for the festival will work in the field, guided by academic and local knowledge, to translate these scars into contemporary artistic expressions reproducing memories not as static stories, but as living, evolving voices.
Voices of Nature: The Mekong as a Borderless Lifeline
The Mekong River is more than a natural resource it is a vital artery of interdependence, connecting multiethnic and multilingual communities through culture and coexistence, unfettered by state-imposed boundaries. Artists in this theme will explore how physical and ecological changes, driven by economic development, climate change, and human activity, are reshaping the river’s identity. Through collaborative processes, artists may not only create visual narratives but also help connect knowledge and communities toward environmental understanding and sustainable solutions.
Voices of the Present: Art for Human Rights and Hope
In a world marked by inequality and conflict, S.O.E 2025 artists will use their creative practices to speak out for human rights, amplify marginalized voices, and build bridges of empathy. Whether advocating for basic freedoms, portraying the lives of refugees, or challenging the constructed boundaries of nation-states and ideologies, these works aim to awaken critical thought and collective solidarity.
Voices of the Future: Passing on the Flame of Hope
Ultimately, S.O.E 2025 aspires to be a social platform for contemporary art—where the smallest voices and the silenced cries of nature can once again rise in unison. Through cross-boundary dialogue that transcends class, status, and nationality, the festival seeks to inspire positive change and shared hope, grounded in sustainable coexistence in a borderless world.
Site Selection and Cultural Significance
Each chosen location for S.O.E 2025 bears deep historical and cultural relevance:
- Si Chiang Mai and Tha Bo, Nong Khai: Located along the Mekong River, these districts are emblematic of transnational connectivity. Historically, they played key roles during the Indochina and Vietnam Wars as strategic sites and refugee routes, embodying the region’s legacy of transformation and collective memory.
- Udon Thani: A pivotal province during the Vietnam War, Udon Thani hosted a major U.S. airbase and remains a cultural mosaic, home to Vietnamese immigrant communities that have shaped its rich social fabric.
- Khon Kaen: A central hub of education, economy, and transportation in the Northeast, Khon Kaen is also the original home of the S.O.E project. It stands as a beacon of creative energy and youth engagement, making it an ideal host for the festival’s grand finale.
S.O.E 2025: Sound of Era invites the world to listen—not just to sound, but to the silent resonances of memory, nature, and resilience that shape the spirit of a people and the future of our shared world.
S.O.E ARTFESTIVAL 