AsiaLIFE

In December, Java Café and Gallery celebrated ten candles on its birthday cake. Founder Dana Langlois looks back to Java’s beginnings. Words by Mai Lynn Miller Nguyen.

Ten years ago, Phnom Penh had few spaces dedicated to contemporary art. Cafés were also in short supply. Sensing potential to bridge the gap, Dana Langlois opened Java Café and Gallery.

With a background in photography, the then 24-year old American was prompted by her own enthusiasm for the arts. “The idea was to present art in an accessible medium. This was a way to give a lot of exposure to art. Of course, I love coffee, I love good food,” says Langlois. “I thought it’d be a great combination.”

Now expanded to two floors and the adjacent jGallery space, the original Java was located on the upstairs of the present building with the café furniture on the terrace and the gallery inside.

“There’s a funny story from when we first opened. I really wanted to be a proper gallery where people come in and go mmm and ahh, look at the art,” recalls Langlois. “I lined up these benches in the middle so that everybody could sit and contemplate the art. Then some guy comes in and says, you do massage here?”

Langlois immediately moved the café furniture inside—creating a place where people can feel comfortable, surrounded by art yet without the pretension of a formal gallery.

Over the decade, Java’s integration of a café and gallery has turned out to be the key to success.

The comfortable lounging areas, mouth-watering chocolate cookies, and ongoing art events figure in many a Phnom Penh resident’s daily routine. “I see the same people coming in three or four times a week,” says Langlois. “You feel very much like it’s an extended family.”

The café opened with a simple menu, yet even the selection of baked goods was something novel for the city. “At that time, I don’t think most people had even heard of a muffin in town,” laughs Langlois.

Now extending beyond the bakery, the food offerings are a mix of classic café fare and original recipes. In 2006, Langlois brought in a Swedish consultant to train and inspire Java’s team of cooks. Ever since, a special series known as CrEATions presents the kitchen’s flavourful inventions.

“For me, that process has been fantastic, working together as a team, developing things together,” says Langlois.

Now consisting of over 40 people, the staff has grown well beyond the original group of seven.

At Java’s tenth anniversary celebration in December, Langlois honoured the five staff members who have been with Java since the beginning. Invited to the stage one by one, each was presented with a plaque and bouquet of flowers, inciting applause from the regulars who have come to know them well.

For the party, Java hosted a special edition of its monthly open mic night. Emceed by spoken word poet Berkavitch, the line up featured diverse talent, including music by the young pop band Les Bannis, a demonstration of beat production by hip pop producer Peanut Lam and sets by DJs Nam and Radioactive Anne.

Langlois also commemorated the occasion by donating her ten-year archive of past exhibitions to the Bophana Centre’s audiovisual resources department—a rich documentation of the country’s burgeoning contemporary art scene, which Langlois has been instrumental in fostering.

The first Cambodian-born and based artist to show at Java was Leang Seckon in 2002, and numerous local, regional, and international artists have followed since. More than offering exhibition space, Langlois has created long-term relationships with several artists, promoting greater recognition of their work.

“There’s probably more breadth to the work today, but the attitude and approach is really the same. I’ve just built on what Java has always been, trying to open up opportunities for artists to express themselves,” says Langlois. “It’s always been about cooperation, working together to build something greater.”

With her latest enterprise, a sandwich bar focused on quick eats, opening near Wat Phnom this month, Langlois shows no sign of slowing down.

“This is a long-term adventure,” says Langlois. “I hope there’s ten years more.”

Java Café & Gallery, 56 Sihanouk Blvd., Tel: 012 833 512, Open daily from 7am to 10pm.