The Kingdom of Cambodia was established in 1993 after suffering the Vietnam War, the horrors of Pol Pot and his regime, civil war and countless rebellions. The reconstruction of this country has been supported by around 3,500 different international non-government organizations (NGOs), working in many fields, from the environment, to infrastructure, human rights and fighting […]
Fascinated by the diversity of faces found in Southeast Asia, artist Chris Cole has spent the last two decades immortalising Phnom Penh and Bangkok’s notorious nightscapes. Marissa Carruthers catches up with him ahead of his latest exhibition. “I’m not a moralist, I’m not glamourising sex tourism,” says artist Chris Cole, who originally hails from the
Noir Nights in Phnom Penh (via AsiaLIFE Cambodia) Read More »
By Ben Valentine (1,600 words, 10 minute read) Meta Moeng was the first person I met from Cambodia’s arts scene. This was in 2014, and I was eager to learn more about the country’s arts ecology. She was then the community projects manager at SA SA BASSAC (SSB) arts gallery in Phnom Penh, and I
Meta Moeng: a bridge-builder in Cambodia’s art world Read More »
Cambodian-American poet Sokunthary Svay is tired of hearing about the Khmer Rouge. After concluding a yearlong review of Cambodian literature available in English, Svay found that nearly every accessible text about the country of her birth concerned either Angkor Wat, the ancient Angkorian Kingdom, the Khmer Rouge, or memoirs written by Cambodians who survived the
A Child of Cambodian Refugees Finds her Past through Poetry (via Electric Literature) Read More »
In her article, “The Persistent Presence of Cambodian Spirits: Contemporary Knowledge production in Cambodia”*, Courtney Work argues that the presence of spirits in Cambodian culture has been made a subjacent subject in the dialogue of empire, but that the human culture of this complex nation cannot be properly explained without reference to the “other-than-human world”.
Ghost Stories (via Mekong Review) Read More »
“The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is an annual awards show celebrating achievements in cinema across a number of categories from the past year. “First They Killed My Father” is among the 92 films on the Academy’s initial long list, which will be shot down to a handful before the final nominees are
Oscar predictions: Cambodia frontrunner in best foreign language film category Read More »
Although modern art is little known in Cambodia, Nov Cheanick hopes his work can inspire Cambodians. PHNOM PENH — Battambang is best known as Cambodia’s second city and a hub of free expression, the home of numerous artists, musicians, and writers.During the reign of the Khmer Rouge, this world was almost snuffed out, but four
Nov Cheanick: From Humble Beginnings to Transcendent Art [Cambodia] Read More »
“During the autumn of 2016, I ventured out to Siem Reap in Cambodia to undertake a three-month artistic residency with the pioneering all-female contemporary dance company, New Cambodian Artists (NCA). I have previously worked with NCA as a contemporary dance technique trainer over a two-month period in 2015 as part of a self-funded professional development initiative.
Exploring Female Empowerment through Dance in Cambodia [Cambodia] Read More »
“Sophal Neak was born in Takeo, a province in southern Cambodia, in 1989. Since 2011, her works—in particular her photographs—have been showcased across Asia, Europe and Australia. Her unique and uncompromising take on history and people, as well as her distinctive and powerful vision, has played an important role in contributing to the cultural re-awakening
Photographing the Soul of Cambodia: Interview with Sophal Neak [Cambodia] Read More »
By Ben Valentine (1091 words, 10-minute read) The Asia Europe Foundation’s Culture360 and ArtsEquator present a series of 5 co-commissioned articles that look at arts groups, artists and performances in Southeast Asia that are comprised of or address artists with disabilities. In this first article, Ben Valentine meets with Epic Arts, a Cambodian arts group that
Epic Arts, Cambodia Read More »
“A Cambodian Spring, a documentary that chronicles the lives of three activists as they fight evictions and rights abuses in the run-up to the 2013 national election, was awarded Best Feature Documentary at the Brooklyn Film Festival on Sunday. The two-hour documentary, which took Irish filmmaker Chris Kelly nine years to make, won the prestigious award
‘A Cambodian Spring’ Wins at Brooklyn Film Fest [Cambodia] Read More »
“Visitors to the Institut Francais tonight will be met by life-size cardboard characters inspired by the 2D animations and illustrations of Phare Creative Studio, a new social enterprise that helps fund NGO Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang City. The launch event for the animation and graphic design studio—which will be split between Battambang and Phnom
NGO Cheers Opening of Animation Studio in Phnom Penh [Cambodia] Read More »
“The theme of the exhibition is as intriguing as Cambodia itself: a land in which events of the past 50 years continue to weigh on people, even those far too young to have witnessed them. “Cambodia: Looking Back on the Future,” opening today in the U.S., will feature the works of 11 artists as well
Major Exhibition Takes Contemporary Cambodian Art to US [Cambodia] Read More »
“When I heard Phnom Penh wasn’t a walking city, I bought a good pair of shoes. The evidence on my feet at the day’s end—after dodging motorbikes, piles of trash, street meat smoke, tuktuk offers—was par for the course. The joy of moving at my own pace offset the challenges, but could not have prepared
Phnom Penh’s White Building [Cambodia] Read More »
“I was first introduced to writer and photographer Zhuang Wubin’s work when I moved to Cambodia. His writings on Cambodian photography are well-researched, accessible, and thoughtful — exactly what I was seeking as a newcomer to the area. Zhuang became an important node for me to learn from and think through photography in Cambodia, and later the region as a whole.
An Artist’s Comprehensive History of Southeast Asian Photography [SEA, Singapore] Read More »
A deeply personal tale of revenge and redemption is set to return this weekend as Sophiline Arts Ensemble brings the celebrated “A Bend in the River” to Phnom Penh’s Chaktomuk Theater. While director and choreographer Sophiline Cheam Shapiro will keep the story’s original roots, her focus will be to increase the production values of the
‘Bend in the River’ set to take a new twist: Khmer Times [Cambodia] Read More »
The music should be familiar to most in the audience—pop tunes known the world over—but not so for the dance, “Re/Play Dance Edit,” which was choreographed over the past week by Cambodian and Japanese dancers. As the artists perform in Phnom Penh on Friday and Saturday, they will gracefully move across the stage without interacting
Championing Diversity, Dancers Move to Their Own Stories [Cambodia] Read More »
Yet Sarin, a star dancer of Cambodia’s classical male masked dance lakhaon kaol, died on Saturday at Phnom Penh’s Calmette Hospital after a long illness. He was 91. He had fought hepatitis for a year, his wife Bin Van, 50, said on Monday. Born in 1925, Yet Sarin trained in Kandal province at Wat Svay
With Classical Dancer’s Death, Loss of a Cambodian Legend (via The Cambodia Daily) Read More »
For the first time, this year’s edition will be held in the spring, where Eloy expects it to remain in coming years. The lineup is an intoxicating mix of local and regional films, with Western offerings sprinkled throughout, as well as a celebration of local music, arts and dance. Because of the range of films,
The Phnom Penh Post Guide to the Cambodia International Film Festival Read More »
Graffiti in Cambodia has not historically been very common, but that’s changing fast due to the city’s relatively young and increasingly urban and networked population. While many tags are done by people passing through or immigrants who live here, locals are discovering the joys and thrills of tagging as well. Nowhere can you see this more
Graffiti and Street Art Thrive In a Rundown Phnom Penh Neighborhood Read More »
Tags: Kampot Writers and Readers Festival Literary Festivals
Phnom Penh Post reviews Kampot Writers and Readers Festival 2016 Read More »
