Intimate portraits of friends created by a Chinese artist before he took his own life. An Indian painter’s depiction of life before and after gay sex was decriminalized. These are some of the images on display at an Asian contemporary art show that opens in the Thai capital Bangkok on Saturday, seeking to fight LGBT+ discrimination in a region where same-sex behavior is still criminalized in many nations. The exhibition at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center (BACC), which runs until March 1, features the works of nearly 60 Asian artists, and is the second such exhibition after a show in Taipei two years ago. It is aimed at engaging with people who may have differing views on LGBT+ people and art, said Patrick Sun, founder of Hong Kong-based Sunpride Foundation, whose collection is the foundation of the show. “Art is less confrontational – it’s perhaps more palatable to the general public who may not go to a Pride march, or support marriage equality,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in Bangkok.