AsiaLIFE

As late as 2001, Siem Reap had no formal art galleries to speak of. A visitor looking for contemporary art would have to comb the Old Market, looking past kramas and opium pipes. Now, Siem Reap boasts at least a dozen galleries that showcase the work of artists based in Siem Reap and throughout Cambodia, as well as around the world. The town is beginning to acquire an international reputation as a place to find striking original art.

The Photography Nexus

As one of the most photographed sites in the world, Angkor seems a natural home for photographers and photographic exhibitions. In 2004, John McDermott and myself opened the doors of McDermott Gallery 1 at the FCC, exhibiting his iconic sepia-toned images of the temples as well as the platinum prints of internationally renowned photographer Kenro Izu. Setting up the gallery was both challenging and fun, and we wanted to expand on that initial vision. We renovated a larger space near the Old Market, which eventually turned into McDermott Gallery 2, so that we would have the ability to show a mixture of emerging and established artists doing first-rate photography of Asia.

“I want to create a world class photography gallery, said John. “People don’t expect to find one here and when visitors walk in and recognise what we’re doing, they react with surprise and awe that we can actually do something like this here.” John curates all the exhibitions, which have combined international names like Peter Steinhauer and Dominic Rouse with emerging photographers beginning to make a reputation in Cambodia and throughout Asia.

A gallery devoted to photography is an unusual entity in Southeast Asia. Now Siem Reap is home to three of them with the official opening of the Friends Centre in November 2008. The Friends Center, which supports the Angkor Children’s Hospital founded by Kenro Izu, opened with a show of Asian color photography by legendary National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry. Upcoming shows will be curated by Brenda Edelson, a private dealer in Sante Fe who has a great interest in Asian photography. She is hoping to bring in such names as Marc Riboud, a world famous French photographer who shot Angkor in the late 1960s.

An important force for photography in Siem Reap, the Angkor Photography Festival began in 2005 and just completed its fourth annual festival in November. Founded by Christophe Loviny, Gary Knight and Jean Yves Navel, and continued by a large board of regional and international photographers, each year the festival brings hundreds of talented photographers from around the world to exhibit their work in venues throughout Siem Reap.

Some of the visitors have stayed, contributing to the growing artistic community. French haute couturiers Marie Fabre and Frédéric Escudier came to Siem Reap to volunteer for the festival, and later established the Wa Gallery, a gallery and concept store that brings together original artwork, handcrafted items, high design fashion by Siem Reap-based designer Eric Raisina, and other unique objects into a multifaceted mélange. “The gallery is named ‘Wa’ after the key concept of Confucius,” Marie explains. “The idea is to put contrary forces together so that they are not in conflict but instead act in harmony.”

The Growth of Curated Galleries

Over the last few years, Siem Reap has seen a growing number of curated galleries, where the vision of the curator shapes rotating exhibitions of artists from Cambodia and around the world. Hotel de la Paix, home of the Arts Lounge, made a conscious decision to support the art community when they invested in creating the Arts Lounge and hired Filippino artist and fashion designer Don Protasio to curate their exhibitions. “The goal of the gallery is to promote contemporary Cambodian artists,” says Don. “We are actively looking for Cambodian artists who are either reinterpreting traditional art forms or who are creating Cambodian art in a contemporary way. Beyond that we don’t have specific guidelines. I’m looking for something creative, original, exciting – something I haven’t seen before.” Their latest show is a festive exhibition of acrylic paintings of impressionistic flowers by Khmer artist Phav Savann, who is currently working in France. Don draws on artists throughout Cambodia, including Phnom Penh and Battambang, as well as from abroad.

Restaurateur Olivier Muzard became involved in the arts through collaboration with sculptor Sasha Constable, who was promoting the work of several Cambodian artists. He began hosting exhibitions at an annexe to his beautiful French restaurant Alliance Café. Olivier is enthusiastic about reaching new artists, travelling to Battambang several times to reach emerging artists in the community there. He is currently exhibiting the architectural drawings and figure studies of Battambang artist Mao Soviet.

The Red Gallery at the FCC is a collaboration between John McDermott and myself, and we jointly curate the artwork on display. The gallery is dedicated to contemporary artists working in Cambodia, including Cambodian artists as well as British, French, Czech and Filippino based in the country. It’s an intimate space with a constantly evolving mix of artists and artwork that ranges from bronze sculpture to lacquer, oil paintings, abstract rattan, photography and mixed media.

Heritage Suites Hotel has hosted a number of exhibitions in their airy and spacious lobby continuously over the last few years. While they don’t have an in-house curator, they have invited respected figures such as artist Sasha Constable and Angkor Photography Festival coordinator Francoise Callier as guest curators of their shows.

Artist/Entrepreneurs

Artists have always been entrepreneurs of a creative sort – making a living by art is often a tricky business. Siem Reap resident Loven Ramos, an artist from the Philippines, collaborates with his wife Faith and their long-time friend Don Protasio to shape the One Gallery into an eclectic space bearing the stamp of their playful personalities. “The gallery is really an extension of our living room,” says Loven. “It’s a way of bringing our home into the public eye – our style as a couple, as a family, as friends. The philosophy of the gallery is that there really is only one of each thing – when it is sold, we have to let go of it, kiss it goodbye, and move on creatively.” The gallery combines Loven’s mixed media artwork with objects and jewellery accumulated through Faith and Loven’s travels and Don’s fashion and accessories.

French painter Jean-Pierre Obriot opened the doors of his Wat Kandal Gallery in November. Tucked away by the river, and nestled under rambling shade trees, the gallery/studio shows Jean-Pierre’s tranquil contemporary paintings of monks and Buddha images, as well as his collection of antiques. One of the first galleries to open in Siem Reap, Asasax Art Gallery features the work of Khmer painter Asasax, including his work in acrylic, oils and mixed media. Based in Phnom Penh, Asasax first opened his gallery near the National Musuem, but maintains a second gallery in Siem Reap near the Old Market. Located nearby, Happy Painting Gallery features the exuberant paintings of Stephane Delapree. And just around the corner, Klick Gallery was opened by long-time Cambodia resident Pierre Poretti opened to show his hand-tinted photographs of Angkor and Cambodia, as well as his work of Bali, Burma, Vietnam and Laos.

Directly or indirectly, the source of inspiration for growing creativity and expression that we see in these galleries and in the artwork on display is Cambodia itself, in all of its complicated facets: the richness of the culture, the texture and quality of life here, and the awe inspiring example of Angkor, which seems to transcend its human origins.

Art Gallery Listings

Alliance Café
7 Makara Street, Wat Damnak Area

Tel: 017 809 010
http://www.allianceartcafe.com

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Asasax Art Gallery
Pub Street, Old Market Area
www.asasaxart.com.kh

The Arts Lounge
Hotel de la Paix,, Sivatha Boulevard
10am til late
Tel: 063 966 000
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www.hoteldelapaixangkor.com

Friends Centre
(Centre for Friends without a Border)
Achamean Street, next to the Angkor Children’s Hospital
Tel: 063 963 409 (x7015)
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www.fwab.org

Happy Painting Gallery
Near the Old Market
www.happypainting.net

Heritage Suites
Near Wat Polanka
Tel: 063 969 100
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www.heritage.com.kh

Klick Gallery
The Passage
Old Market Area
Tel: 063 761 084
www.iklektik.com/photography

McDermott Gallery 1
FCC, Pokambor Avenue
Old French Quarter
Open: 10am – 10pm
Tel: 012 274 274
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www.mcdermottgallery.com

McDermott Gallery 2
The Passage
Old Market Area
Open 10am – 10pm
Tel: 092 668 181
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www.mcdermottgallery.com

The One Gallery
The Passage
Old Market Area
Open 11am – midnight
Tel: 015 378 088
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The Red Gallery
FCC, Pokambor Avenue
Old French Quarter
Open: 10am-10pm
Tel: 092 822 323
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The Wa Gallery
333 Sivatha Boulevard
Open 10am – midnight
Tel: 016 746 701
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Wat Kandal Gallery
River Road
Near Wat Kandal
Tel: 092 521 801
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