Kumnooh: Cambodia arts for week commencing 30 May 2023

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Hello, Dear

Eriq Henri Madsen: born in the USA, citizen of the world, and a true Khmer soul.   His signature greeting for everyone he met, a warm “Hello, Dear”, still rings in our ears.  He died on April 24, 2023, and his talent, service, and deep kindness will be missed by the countless people who were his friends, students, fellow artists, and advocates.  His family in the US has requested that Tribe Art Cambodia and his friends offer the remaining pieces of artwork for sale – all of his last collection will be on show and available for purchase.  His distinctive work is playful and imaginative – he tells the story of each of us.  Please join us and consider taking a piece of Eriq’s life and imagination home with you; it will greet you each day with “Hello, Dear”.   Saturday and Sunday at Pi-Pet-Pi Gallery (next to Enso Cafe), 10 am – 6 pm. 

Drop Cloth … a few things you might not know about…

Ian Harvey Stone – visiting British comedian, actor, hypnotist and mentalist with an impressive resume who will perform in Phnom Penh at Speakeasy Theatre on Saturday night, presented by Comedy In Cambodia.  Here he is on YouTube. 

An artist or an aspect of the arts that you think is overrated:
Comedy during the pandemic.  Bo Burnham was the only one to do anything productive. All the rest of us were performing to empty Zoom rooms or drive-in car parks in LA where people sat in their cars tuning their radio to the mic frequency and flicking their headlights on and off to signify laughter. Like a bad cheese fever dream directed by Wes Anderson.  Zoom comedy, for me, was the third circle of Hell. Dying on  stage is hard enough without dying simultaneously in forty rooms filled with semi-dressed, depressed and overly-medicated Millennials unsuccessfully trying to find the mute button.

An artist of an aspect of the arts that you think is underrated:
Crowd work. Great comedians who aren’t so well known such as Ian Bagg in the US, Irish guy Wes Dalton and Brit Jon Pearson who have the ability to literally stand there and incorporate audience input. I love the idea of comedy as a conversation – albeit a mostly one-sided conversation. My favourite comedians always make me feel like they are talking to me and make the event feel like a one-off. Another aspect of comedy I love is the ability to ruffle feathers – especially of authority. I recently went to Hong Kong and the secret police were in checking on what was being said. I like that ability that comedy has, to paraphrase George Carlin, ‘to make people laugh and whilst their mouths are open, pop an idea in’.

An early memory of comedy:
Coming into a smoky living room at my grandparents’ house while Billy Connolly was on the telly. People were literally weeping with laughter. My family are Irish so laughed a lot anyway and jokes and humour were a big part of my life growing up, but long shaggy dog stories from Billy Connolly or Dave Allen are strong nostalgia moments for me.
I was young when my Nan died. Because we’re Catholic, they kept her in the front room prior to her burial. Someone came around to read the electricity meter and my Grandad absent-mindedly said “oh, it’s in the front room, next to my wife”. Poor guy came out white as a sheet and we all howled with laughter. Good times.

The last thing you had to eat:
Ginger-infused peanut butter on sourdough toast! What a tosser! But yesterday I ate pad krapow, the classic Thai street dish of minced pork or chicken with holy basil and chilli. I eat a lot and food is very important to me. What should I not miss in Phnom-nom  Penh?

Where did you do your start in comedy?
I trained originally as an actor in a big London drama school and have a Master’s Degree in performing arts and actor training. I was lucky to be trained by some great clowns and comedy actors. I moved from acting to cabaret about ten years ago and I do a mix of comedy and cabaret mind reading. I was fortunate to be mentored in mentalism by the son of Houdini’s prop maker and I enjoy creating shows. The Edinburgh Fringe was a great teacher of experience and I suppose I started comedy seriously there. Pre-pandemic, I lived in LA and worked hard there to get better.

When did you first come to Cambodia?
2011 is the only other time I’ve been to Cambodia. I visited Siem Reap. Never been to Phnom Penh and I’m excited to be coming back to Cambodia and visiting somewhere new. The last time I was here, I was very taken by how kind everyone was. 

A book or movie you keep going back to:
I love books, especially fantasy and sci-fi.  Iain M. Banks’ Culture series, Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law series, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Stone Junction by Jim Dodge and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson are all favourite re-reads.  Also anything by Dan Abnett.  I always re-visit Shakespeare too.
Movies: Withnail and I, Labyrinthine, The Italian Job and Le Bossu.

What languages do you speak?
I speak passable Spanish and can make myself understood in Portuguese by speaking Spanish with a Sean Connery accent.  I know a smattering of Norwegian swear words and how to tell someone I love them, and I am slowly picking up Thai.

A country that you would like to visit:
It seems a bit trite but I am a serial traveller. I am always happiest when visiting somewhere new, so in that respect, the next country is the country I’d like to visit! But if you want a different response then Iceland. It seems like a mystical place full of angry geysers.

Something people might be surprised to know about you:
I placed third at the World Yoga Championships. The winner won by a long stretch.

A question from last week’s participant – what ambitions to you have for your particular artform, individually or collectively? 
I am interested in helping to build the scene in Asia for local comics. There aren’t enough opportunities to perform and you need stage time to get better at comedy. I’m part of a group hoping to bring a full fringe festival to Chiang Mai.  Purely personally, I want to be able to make enough money in comedy to keep my goat in the manner he’s become accustomed to and to be able to bail or bribe my way out of jail.

Event listings:

Opening today, Tuesday 30, but with a special event on Thursday 1, a pop up exhibition by Sra’Art and Let Us Create Futures featuring Delphine Vaudiau, Joshua Chiang, Olga Shklyar, Roberto Crucitti, Ryssa and Lolli.  The Thursday night special event from 7 pm will include a silent auction and a musical performance by blues band The Blue Souls.
More info

From Tuesday to Sunday this week, Meta House presents Pride Film Fest with screenings nightly at 6 pm. 
Meta House

Opening tomorrow and running through to Sunday is the 12thCambodia International Film Festival – an extensive schedule of screenings at venues all over the city.  Download the programme here.  Media:  CambodgeMag (FR)

Opening on Wednesday 31, a group art exhibition Mixed Media MayII at Shophouse Studio.  Theme is Reconnecting to Nature – interaction between people and nature, the importance of nature, and architectural buildings and nature.  From 6 pm. 
More info

Musica Felice choir is holding auditions this week on Wednesday 31 and Saturday 3.

Through the coming weekend at Boeung Trobek High School, International Board on Books for Young People celebrate International Children’s Book Day.  8 am – 8 pm daily.   
More info

Saturday 3 from 7 am to 10 am and then 4 pm to 7 pm, Phnom Penh Photography Collective and Hiroshima House present a Phnom Penh creative walk – Samaki in Cambodia. 
More info

Saturday 3 the Phnom Penh Symphony Orchestra presents a special concert, Mozart Abend, at the Phnom Penh International Institute for the Arts Concert Hall.  5 pm.   Free entry. 

Saturday 3 at The Art Bar in Kep, the closing night for Serendipitous by Nature: a long view of an artist’s work, an exhibition by Emily Marques.  From 6 pm. 
More info

Saturday 3 at Speak Easy Theater – Comedy In Cambodia presents Ian Harvey Stone – see Drop Cloth above, from 7.30 pm.  $10 tickets in advance.
More info

Saturday 3 and 4 Sunday at Pi-Pet-Pi Gallery – artworks of Eriq Henri Madsen for sale. 
More info

The Trap of Life – a new exhibition by Sou Sophy, opens at Meta House on Tuesday 6 June.  “Trap of Life consists of 24 pieces made out of plywood, recycled paper and glue with a strong environmental message. The works focus on how humans impact the physical environment in many ways, such as pollution, burning fossil fuels, deforestation and poaching.”  From 6 pm. 

Myth in Motion, a video art exhibition by featuring five international women artists – Martha Atienza (Philippines), Ana María Millán (Colombia), Thao Nguyen Phan (Vietnam), Ana Vaz (Brazil) and Connie Zheng (US), opens at Sa Sa Art Projects on Wednesday 7 June.  6 – 8 pm.
More info

8 – 10 June at Singapore Cambodia International Academy, Phnom Penh Players present Alice In Wonderland: The Musical. 
More info

On 9 June Meta House will host the Asia South East-Short Film Festival 2023.  “A seasonal film festival that gives international audiences from Asia, Europe, North America, and elsewhere who are living or traveling in the southeast of Asia, a chance to see a wide variety of great short films that are being produced from around the world. It is curated by the same team that produces the London Seasonal Short Film Festival and the London Worldwide Comedy Short Film Festival.”  Followed on 10 June by the World Student Film Festival!

Coming on 10 June to Hotel Old Cinema in Kampot is Kaleidoscope, an exhibition of prints by Tamara Venn celebrating Cambodian wildlife. 

Life Drawing Phnom Penh – starting 11 June, for beginners and the experienced, every Sunday after for six weeks at Planete Enfanrs & Developpement’s Rooftop. 
More info

At the end of July 2023, dance company Prumsodun Ok & NATYARASA will host two nights of performances featuring original choreography from Chakra, Chamreoun, Chay, Sopharoth, and Venghour. They have launched a crowdsourcing campaign to support the project.  Support their fundraising campaign here.    

Ongoing….

Exhibitions:  
Chhan Dina Gallery
An on-going display of the work of Chhan Dina work from throughout her career is augmented, on a rolling schedule, with works of contemporary masters and up-and-coming painters.  For appointment to view call 012 968 582.
More info

Erick Gonzalez Gallery/L’Atelier d’Erick Gonzalez
Exhibition by Tytaart (Cambodia) and Nicolas GUYOT (France). “A bridge that takes us from the visible to the imaginary, from the concrete to the conceptual, and finally from the personal to the universal.”   Until 22 May. 
Media: Cambodge Mag (FR)

The Gallerist
A continuously rolling collection of works by mostly Cambodian artists.  Currently showing is works by Chhan Dina, Nak Noy, Stan, Chhim Sothy, DinArt and Thun Dina.
More info

Meta House
Opening Wednesday 17 to mark International Day Against Homo- and Transphobia, an exhibition entitled The Art of Drag – “Five thoughtfully curated photo sequences capturing the essence of drag performance.”
More info

Ny Vannak
Small studio gallery in Lanka Lane, off St 51 in BKK1 featuring the work of Ny Vannak.
Visit the gallery by appointment –  WhatsApp/ Telegram 099 509 412 / 0978572328

Romchiek 5 Art Space
Battambang contemporary art studio.  Rolling exhibitions.  

Sa Sa Art Projects
Myth in Motion, a video art exhibition by featuring five international women artists opens at Sa Sa Art Projects on Wednesday 7 June. 
More info

Sofitel
Tribe Cambodia presents the opening of Elements of the Lotus by Ponleu.   Until end of June. 
Media: Cambodge Mag (FR)   Sovrin Magazine (KH)  CGB Media (KH)
More info

Space Four Zero
Prints, paintings, vintage posters, pop art, CDs and vinyl.  Open daily. 
More info

Sra’Art
Pop up exhibition by Sra’Art and Let Us Create Futures featuring Delphine Vaudiau, Joshua Chiang, Olga Shklyar, Roberto Crucitti, Ryssa and Lolli.  Special Thursday night event from 7 pm will include a silent auction and a performance by The Blue Souls.
More info

Regular events, classes, sessions:

Drink & Draw every Monday at Cloud, 6.30 pm. 
More info

Tuesdays, 4 – 4.45 pm at Giving Tree International School, after school art lessons by Mirasol Aguila. 

Every Wednesday Comedy in Cambodia present Stand Up Social at Speak Easy Theater.  7.30 pm.   

Wednesdays to Sundays at K’Atelier – art classes for all levels of experience.  Coming soon: 10 June, Sip & Paint; 11 June, Introduction to Surrealism

Kids Art Club, Saturdays at Botanico, presented by Sra’Art, 10 am and 11 am. 
More info

N o w h e r e Art Studio
A range of arts and crafts workshops at different times.  Sunday 11 June is Block-printing on fabric, 1 pm.  

A weekly class in life drawing for kids with Anastasia at Pteah Chas Community.
More info

Khmer Architecture Tours conducts Sunday architecture tours in Phnom Penh to promote the understanding of modern architecture in Cambodia, focusing on buildings erected after independence in 1953, described as ‘New Khmer Architecture’, while setting these in the historical context of Phnom Penh.  Here is the schedule for May.

Kumnooh was originally established in May 2013 as a sister publication to LengPleng.com, the online music magazine for Cambodia, to provide basically a gig guide for the wider arts, covering art galleries, literature, dance, cinema, photography and now comedy. 

You may be interested in becoming a Friend of Kumnooh, where we ask venues, artists and individuals to show their support by making a small monetary contribution to keep the lights on. In return for a boost in promotion, including a non-Facebook web page on our site for direct contact with the dedicated arts audience.  Check out our first example – Chhan Dina Gallery.  Queries by return email – fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.

For a more rock’n’roll view of Phnom Penh and the wider Cambodian music scene, please check out our sister publication lengpleng.com, the long running live music gig guide.

Send a ‘subscribe’ email to fabianhipp@kumnooh.com to receive Kumnooh in your inbox every Tuesday lunchtime.

Are we missing something?  Let us know at fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.
See you about…

Fabian Hipp
Kumnooh
fabianhipp@kumnooh.com

Out and about – you may have missed

Kosal Kiev performs at the Poetica event at Meta House on Friday 26 May 2023

Kumnooh: Cambodia arts for the week commencing 23 May 2023

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Kumnooh was originally established in ten years ago this month as a sister publication to LengPleng.com, the online music magazine for Cambodia, to provide basically a gig guide for the wider arts, covering art galleries, literature, dance, cinema, photography – now expanded to include stand up comedy.

You may be interested in becoming a Friend of Kumnooh, where we ask venues, artists and individuals to show their support by making a small monetary contribution to keep the lights on. In return for a boost in promotion, including a non-Facebook web page on our site for direct contact with the dedicated arts audience.  Check out our first example – Chhan Dina Gallery.  Queries by return email – fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.

For a more rock’n’roll view of Phnom Penh and the wider Cambodian music scene, please check out our sister publication lengpleng.com, the long running live music gig guide. Send a ‘subscribe’ email to fabianhipp@kumnooh.com to receive Kumnooh in your inbox every Tuesday lunchtime. Are we missing something?  Let us know at fabianhipp@kumnooh.com. See you about… Fabian Hipp Kumnooh fabianhipp@kumnooh.com

Cambodian Exodus—From the Border to Khao I Dang Refugee Camp: photo exhibitions in the USA, April 2023 By guest writer Colin Grafton. 

During COVID, my wife Keiko and I occupied ourselves with various projects we might never have got around to otherwise—one exhibition at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, two photo exhibitions at Bophana Center, and a book titled Dancers.

Read the whole article here.  

Reloading A-N-T-O-P-I-A with Carlo Santoro

This Saturday 27 at 7 pm at Seekers Spirit House the intrepid traveller will find a multi-faceted event entitled A-N-T-O-P-I-A/PAPERS, put together by Metaestetica Lab, a mixed media participatory installation and performance including the Kampot Playboys, DJs, painters, video, sculpture, Old Uncle Tom Cobly and all.  Kumnooh sat down with the proposer of the event, Carlo Santoro, as the rain poured down, to try to get a handle on all that’s going on. You are describing this as a reload, but a reload of what precisely? “The first version of A-N-T-O-P-I-A was put together for the European Film Festival in February 2023 – one single installation work.  It’s not an exhibition, it’s an installation one single product created by artists from many different disciplines – painting, sculpture, architecture, printing, video and performance.

Read the whole article here.  

Event listings:

Wednesday 26 at Bophana Center, special guest for Cine Club is Suong Pros Prathna.  Khmer language event.  5 pm. 

Wind Up Mice by Khmer playwright Samithi Sok continues and then closes this coming weekend 26 and 27 May – at Java Creative Café Tuol Tom Pong.  For more information, including ticketing, check the Facebook event here. Media: The Kumnooh Interview.

Friday 26, Sra’Art presents an open mic hosted by Initial G, from 7 pm. More info

Also Friday 26, Meta House presents Poetronica – poetry readings from Kosal Khiev, Yeng Chheangly, Chan Somnang, Choun Sopheap and Antonio Pineda, with live music by Eclectic Universe and a DJ. 

 Saturday 27 at Seekers Spirits is A-N-T-O-P-I-A/PAPERS – a mixed media participatory installation with performances, exhibitions and the Kampot Playboys.  “Videos and photographs on urban transformation presented by Pisey Kosal, Miguel Jeronimo and Carlo Santoro will stand alongside collages and paintings by three acclaimed artists from three different generations, Suos Sodavy, Chhim Sothy and Chhan Dina.  They will open perspectives on today’s life in the Cambodian cities.  Also join us for a tribute to Srey Bandaul, celebrated among the founding fathers of contemporary art in Battambang province.”    Media: The Kumnooh Interview

Opening on 30 May but with a special event on 1 June, a pop up exhibition by Sra’Art and Let Us Create Futures featuring Delphine Vaudiau, Joshua Chiang, Olga Shklyar, Roberto Crucitti, Ryssa and Lolli.  The Thursday night special event will include a silent auction and a performance by The Blue Souls.  From 7 pm. More info

From 30 May to 4 June, Meta House presents Pride Film Fest with screenings nightly at 6 pm.   

Mixed Media May returns to Shophouse Studio in 2023 – there is an open call for artists to participate in an exhibition to open 31 May.  Theme is Reconnecting to Nature – interaction between people and nature, the importance of nature, and architectural buildings and nature.  Deadline for submissions is 27 May. More info

The Musica Felice choir is holding auditions on 31 May and 3 June.       Media:  LengPleng

On the weekend 2 – 4 June at Boeung Trobek High School, International Board on Books for Young People celebrate International Children’s Book Day.  8 am – 8 pm daily.    More info

On 3 June at Speak Easy Theater – Comedy In Cambodia presents Ian Harvey Stone (UK).  Tickets now available. More info

On 3 & 4 June at Pi-Pet-Pi Gallery there will be on sale artworks from the collection of the late Eriq Henri Madsen. More info

8 – 10 June at Singapore Cambodia International Academy, Phnom Penh Players present Alice In Wonderland: The Musical. More info

On 9 June Meta House will host the Asia South East-Short Film Festival 2023.  “A seasonal film festival that gives international audiences from Asia, Europe, North America, and elsewhere who are living or traveling in the southeast of Asia, a chance to see a wide variety of great short films that are being produced from around the world. It is curated by the same team that produces the London Seasonal Short Film Festival and the London Worldwide Comedy Short Film Festival.”

At the end of July 2023, dance company Prumsodun Ok & NATYARASA will host two nights of performances featuring original choreography from Chakra, Chamreoun, Chay, Sopharoth, and Venghour. They have launched a crowdsourcing campaign to support the project.  Support their fundraising campaign here.    

Ongoing….

Exhibitions:   Chhan Dina Gallery An on-going display of the work of Chhan Dina work from throughout her career is augmented, on a rolling schedule, with works of contemporary masters and up-and-coming painters.  For appointment to view call 012 968 582. More info

The Gallerist A continuously rolling collection of works by mostly Cambodian artists.  Currently showing are works by Chhan Dina, Nak Noy, Stan, Chhim Sothy, DinArt and Thun Dina. More info

Ny Vannak Small studio gallery in Lanka Lane, off St 51 in BKK1 featuring the work of Ny Vannak. Visit the gallery by appointment –  WhatsApp/ Telegram 099 509 412 / 0978572328

Romchiek 5 Art Space Battambang contemporary art studio.  Rolling exhibitions.

Sofitel Tribe Cambodia presents the opening of Elements of the Lotus by Ponleu.   Until end of June. Media: Cambodge Mag (FR)   Sovrin Magazine (KH)  CGB Media (KH) More info

Space Four Zero Prints, paintings, vintage posters, pop art, CDs and vinyl.  Open daily. More info

Regular events, classes, sessions:

Drink & Draw every Monday at Cloud, 6.30 pm. More info

Tuesdays, 4– 4.45 pm at Giving Tree International School, after school art lessons by Mirasol Aguila. 

Every Wednesday Comedy in Cambodia present Stand Up Social at Speak Easy Theater.  7.30 pm.

Wednesdays to Sundays at K’Atelier – art classes for all levels of experience. 

Kids Art Club, Saturdays at Botanico, presented by Sra’Art, 10 am and 11 am. More info

N o w h e r e Art Studio offers a range of arts and crafts workshops at different times.  Sunday 11 June is Block-printing on fabric, 1 pm. A weekly class in life drawing for kids with Anastasia at Pteah Chas Community. More info Khmer Architecture Tours conducts Sunday architecture tours in Phnom Penh to promote the understanding of modern architecture in Cambodia, focusing on buildings erected after independence in 1953, described as ‘New Khmer Architecture’, while setting these in the historical context of Phnom Penh.  Here is the schedule for May.

Cambodian Exodus—From the Border to Khao I Dang Refugee Camp: photo exhibitions in the USA, April 2023

by

By Colin Grafton.

During COVID, my wife Keiko and I occupied ourselves with various projects we might never have got around to otherwise—one exhibition at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, two photo exhibitions at Bophana Center, and a book titled Dancers.

The advantage of course was that we had plenty of time; the disadvantage was that the venues could not be open to the public, so these exhibitions had to be seen by reservation only. I had to take groups of (maximum) 10 people around the gallery, and give a little talk. This evolved later into two ‘video talks’, unrehearsed and one-take affairs, one on Naoki Mabuchi’s classic photos of the Khmer Rouge era and the other on Refugees—Forty Years Later, which consisted of my photos taken in 1980 around the Thai-Cambodian border and the refugee camps, notably the largest one, Khao I Dang.

The latter exhibition comprised over 100 images. Despite the audience limitations, it enjoyed as much exposure as we could hope for in the circumstances, and was favourably received. It was on display for over a month, as there was nothing to replace it at the time, and the ‘gallery talk video’ went on YouTube. This in fact made it accessible to a much wider audience than we had envisaged. Most of those who viewed it were interested from a historical, objective point of view, but few had any close connection with the events it depicted.

Six years earlier, in January 2015, I had met an American filmmaker named Robert Douglas at the Cambodian International Film Festival. One of his 30-minute documentaries, From The Heart Of Brahma, was screening in the festival. Our shared interest in Cambodian dance and music led to a close friendship. Rob got married to a Cambodian lady, Navy, and went back to the States. We kept in contact.

Rob lives in Long Beach, LA, and a lot of his work as ‘visual anthropologist’ is centred on the Cambodian community. He mentioned a few times that it would be a great idea to show photos of the refugee camps in California, and my reaction was “Yeah, maybe, but it’s a long way away, isn’t it?” Pie in the sky. I had no desire to go to America either, especially at that time when COVID was still rife. If I’d been the praying kind, I would have been praying for Rob and Navy’s survival, but a visit to Trumpland was bottom of my list of things to do.

However, last year, as the world began to open up again, I started getting intimations of a scheme from Rob. He was talking with the Cambodia Town Long Beach community, and thought they might offer to host the Refugees exhibition in LA. I still did not give much credence to the idea, though I appreciated Rob’s enthusiasm and positive attitude. Then Rob informed us that the Cambodia Town community and Phnom Penh Sister Cities committee had given the green light, and would fund us with $5,000 to pay for our air tickets. In LA, we could stay with Rob and Navy and play with their three lovely kids, who were always running around full of energy, shrieking. A dream come true.

We arrived in LA on March 28th, a few hours after we left Phnom Penh, since we were travelling forward into yesterday. We were loaded with baggage, four suitcases containing photographs and copies of the Dancers book for sale.  Rob picked us up at the airport and took us to his home by a circuitous route, stopping off to say hello to famous rapper PraCH Ly and sightseeing at the beach and Trump’s country club. We were high as hell on lack of sleep and jetlag so it didn’t bother us. It took about two hours to reach his house, which is 20 minutes from the airport.

The next few days were spent assembling the photo panels in Rob’s garage, scouting the exhibition venues and meeting important people in the Long Beach Cambodian community. We noticed that Cambodian Americans seemed to have a lot of energy and talked a lot, very fast. We also noted that a noodle soup cost $20, which was equal to one-and-a-half books at the Cambodian price.

Our first event was 2nd April, the day of the Cambodia Town Parade. The photo exhibit went on display in the Manazar Gamboa ‘black box’ theatre. We had found out the theatre itself was too dark for the display, and there was no convenient lighting in it. Furthermore, it would be used for dressing up and rehearsing on the day of the parade. So the photos went up in the theatre lobby, which turned out to be just big enough. The parade in the morning was impressive, with ‘Trot’ dancers and Chhayam drummers, and a number of Apsaras.

The exhibition was open from 1 pm to 6 pm and it was crowded from opening to close – we had not expected this kind of reception. People were flocking to see the pictures, and many were saying they had been there in 1980, and they had stories to tell. Some became emotional. Our “Khmer family” in LA (I had met them in Khao I Dang refugee camp in 1980) were there, and were actively promoting the book, which featured some photos of one of the sisters as a dancer. She had been a shy, shrinking violet at the time, but had later matured into a star saleswoman for Shiseido cosmetics. She sold about thirty books in a few hours, and I was kept busy signing them while listening to stories told by onlookers about their experiences in KID and how they reached it from the border and how they got to the USA after that, via Malaysia or Indonesia….

Khao I Dang’s population in May 1980 was 130,000 and a large number of those people ended up eventually in Long Beach. They had memories but almost no photographs to document their time in the refugee camps. Their children had to listen to those memories, but they too had few visual connections to the experiences of their parents. And now there were all these photos, full of faces and familiar scenes of everyday life on the border… and so many smiling faces, because I was there at a time between the misery and suffering of 1979, when the first refugees poured out with the Khmer Rouge, and the later period when many settled into a routine lethargy of despair, stuck in a camp for years with no way out. It was a time of ephemeral euphoria, when many were relieved to have food and security, health care and hope for the future, after nearly four years of deprivation and terror under the Pol Pot regime.

From 5th to 9th April, the exhibition was on display at Museum of Latin American Art in LA. There is not much connection between Cambodia and Latin America apart from refugee status (from Guatemala, for example) but we were thankful to them for providing us the space in their entrance hall.

In the afternoon of 7th April, I did a slideshow and talk on the exhibition, and there was a panel discussion in the spacious conference hall. On 8th, we showed two screenings of Rithy Panh’s film Site 2, both to full houses. This film was made in 1989 in an even larger camp than Khao I Dang (the population of Site 2 at its highest topped 190,000). Some of the inhabitants had been in Khao I Dang before Site 2, others had arrived later, or been evacuated from the border hamlets of Nong Chan and Nong Samet after they had been wiped out by the Vietnamese. The film was preceded by a revealing interview with Rithy Panh about the making of the film, and together these served as an appropriate bookend presenting a contrast to the optimism of the Khao I Dang photos. After the screening, a Q&A session sparked many questions and comments. It was interesting that many people confused Site 2 with KID, when in fact they were different places.

Logistically, the tour held together reasonably well. We had to fly from LA to Seattle and from Seattle to Sacramento, and we couldn’t carry the photo displays on the plane. So we had to ship them to SF in advance. Setting up and taking down became a streamlined ritual. We used easels supplied by the venues.

America encourages creativity. Everyone should have their input considered. This sounds good, except that one good proven idea is worth any number of useless ones, however imaginative they may be. We found we had to be brutally firm sometimes in saying: “No! We’ll do it like this. Leave us alone.” We were dictatorial, but we had to be to get anything done. Another annoyance was over the choice of photos for posters and fliers. For example, we were told that anything showing violence, children or nudity would be unacceptable to ‘people on the Board’. Bit of a problem there, since the refugee camps were full of kids, many of them stark naked! Consequently, we had to make do with some banal images that lacked impact.

From 14th to 17th April, we were in Seattle for film showing (15th) and slideshow/exhibition (16th). Khmer New Year celebrations were held at Wat Chas (the old pagoda), a picturesque temple in a valley. The smaller population of Cambodians here were somewhat different. Many had originally come from rural areas, not Phnom Penh, and they were more involved in farming than business.

From 17th to 22nd, we were in Napa (at a private gallery, by invitation) and San Francisco, at San Mateo College.  In Napa, we just hung stuff up along a garden fence for a popup afternoon show. Indian dancers came to provide entertainment. The wine was good, but the weather was cold, and people didn’t stay after sunset.

‘Frisco was our last stop, and we finally had time to enjoy the company of some old Cambodian friends (from 1974) and some of the sights recommended by our bluesman friend Big D. Walker (Muir Woods for the redwood trees, and “The Saloon”, oldest blues bar in San Francisco).

On 21st at San Mateo College, we set up the exhibition (which had been shipped from LA) for the last time, and I did a combined presentation with Neak Kru Charya Burt, dance master sister of Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, the famous dancer who recently performed a prayer dance in front of stolen artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. One highlight of this session was when I jokingly invited anyone who saw themselves in the photographs to make a claim, and one woman literally ran up to the front of the stage with a “That’s me!”. She was one of the students at a dance class in Khao I Dang.

We left America just after midnight on 23rd April. The 19 display panels were adopted by Dr. Susan Needham, anthropologist, co-director of the Cambodian Community History & Archive Project (CamCHAP), a community-based research and learning centre created in 2008, who will use them for educational purposes.

The last word should be an enormous Thankyou to our ‘road manager’ Rob, aka Carl Off, aka Robert Carleton-Chhaing, who drove us around, filmed everything, accompanied us almost everywhere, and put up with our complaints and my sense of humour.

As a postscript, my only harmonica performance in LA was for Rob’s kids, who ran around me in circles shouting and screaming in perfect harmony.

****************************************************************************************************************************

  • Some copies of the book “Dancers” are still available in Phnom Penh, please email for details: colingrafton@yahoo.com

Photos: supplied. “These are all from Manazar Gamboa Theater on April 2nd. The lady in turquoise is Dinaka, who is also the central dancer in the colour photo taken 43 years ago, who sold 30 books in a couple of hours. The tall man in black in the cap is Rob, the filmmaker who arranged the trip.”

Reloading A-N-T-O-P-I-A with Carlo Santoro

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This Saturday 27 at 7 pm at Seekers Spirit House the intrepid traveller will find a multi-faceted event entitled A-N-T-O-P-I-A/PAPERS, put together by Metaestetica Lab, a mixed media participatory installation and performance including the Kampot Playboys, DJs, painters, video, sculpture, Old Uncle Tom Cobly and all.  Kumnooh sat down with the proposer of the event, Carlo Santoro, as the rain poured down, to try to get a handle on all that’s going on. 

You are describing this as a reload, but a reload of what precisely?  “The first version of A-N-T-O-P-I-A was put together for the European Film Festival in February 2023 – one single installation work.  It’s not an exhibition, it’s an installation one single product created by artists from many different disciplines – painting, sculpture, architecture, printing, video and performance. 

“Originally it was a one-night-only at Perch – 100 square metres, 15 artists, five videos, movies, DJs, sculpture – all on the 35th floor.  We mounted in one day and dismantled the day after, with the hope that we would set up again shortly after.  A few days later Seekers Spirits agreed to host the installation – one third of it, just 30 square metres, we lost the video and DJ component – so it was mostly the ready-mades, sculptures and painting.” 

A-N-T-O-P-I-A the first time around at Perch. Photos: supplied

Given a broad theme of the marginalised spaces of a rapidly changing and expanding Phnom Penh, the artists were, and have been again, given a chance to play; the audience then react to what has been assembled as they see fit.  Installations like ours meet audience expectations in the context of a film festival.  Two months later, when we repurposed the installation at Seekers for the Warehouse Rave party, attendees were going to dance, and I doubt they really looked forward to an installation of readymades picked up on the street and rusty metal works arranged in the corner of the dance floor, so they considered it part of the space.  People enjoyed the music, but they also wandered around inside the space until the early hours of the morning, which made for an unusual time to relate to the objects we proposed. For us the key component is the public, the participation – it’s a social interaction.  The typical idea of Metaestetica is that it is not the physical outer that produces the aesthetics but rather the social system, the relationship between the work produced by the artist and the viewing audience.” 

So how have artists responded to this general call?  “As said, the main part of the installation consists of rusty metal sculpture with animals and plants morphing through it by Gregory Gosselin, paintings by Theo Valllier, representing the everyday conditions of the typical Phnom Penh city centre, the objects collected from the streets that are in active transformation.  To give you an idea, today one of the city’s major transformations is about to take place along the old railway line in Russei Keo, north of the Japanese Bridge, where the road is currently being widened. People living on the edge of the road are reoccupying the road as they build it, then moving on to the next marginal area.  This is everyday life for the specific conditions of the city.  We tried to buy some of the abandoned/found objects in these spaces – for example an apparently abandoned bed, sitting there, kids playing on it.  It took two or three days, they found the owner, sold for $30.  And so on for many other objects.” 

And you mentioned readymades, as proposed by Marcel Duchamp?  “Right, they are also hidden in the installation. I actually tried to find an exact copy of the Duchamp bicycle wheel.  I went to SuperDuper to buy four cans of Campbell’s tomato soup and placed them in the space, with the receipt, to acknowledge Andy Warhol.  And we got a tyre for Rauschenberg’s Monogram but we missed the goat, so got at least the goat skin, imported for us by Diego Wilkins.  Of course, it wasn’t much noticed during the rave party: okay, there’s tins of soup.  No one even questioned it. Someone laid down on our 30$ bed to smoke a cigarette for half an hour. They didn’t look surprised at all.  Slowly people started to take in the installation, read things, walk around inside, explore the situation and adapt to it. The whole thing might look really surprising from an outside perspective, for them it was quite familiar” 

A-N-T-O-P-I-A the second time around at Seekers as the rave party rages and flags. Photos: supplied

What about the performance side?  “There’s a room where you have a concert and DJs on one side, an installation on the other side, with video projections as well, raising the idea of locality, for locations which have been deprived of the idea of being a locality in the sense of an existing place.  Appearing and disappearing.  And then we do the same with music.

ANTOPIA is also a retrospective, looking back at art and movements in the 1960s.   Sao Sopheak and Nick E Meta will be DJing with old vinyl records to introduce the Kampot Playboys, who represent a continuation of the Golden Era story – a story of appearing and disappearing.” 

But wait there’s more.  “On the 27th we will try to increase the size – rather than being a side event.   Theo Vallier and Jean-Pascal Vittori will again be doing live silkscreen printing with a machine they invented.  There is also a repeat performance by Vannak Khun called The Two Brothers, two masked brothers coming from the countryside to try to explore these unfamiliar objects.  We have paintings and printings originally created by street artist Theo Vallier.  Pisey Kosal’s video portion places a student standing in a road, the image fading from colour to and white – tfading people, as he said.  Miguel Jeronimo is bringing artificial intelligence reinterpretations of Phnom Penh – the pictures are generating glitches and split in seconds, so the images appear dystopian but then they snap and go away, then generate another one, another one.  A sequence, a collage.  Another A-N-T-O-P-I-A dismantled condition.”

And the PAPERS part to the title, for this reload, what’s that about?  “Print art, paper collage, mixed media but mainly using paper as the medium.  We have three contemporary Cambodian painters representing three generations – Sous Soudavy, Chhim Sothy anad Chhan Dina – with a tribute to Srey Bandaul, celebrated as a pioneer of the art movement in Battambang province.   Don’t think of something curated by single person – it’s co-curated by the collection of people that come together under the banner of Metaestetica Lab, a collective of artists and non-artists.” 

The porous notion of the proposed theme allows the audience to experience it through their own context, take meanings from it as they will.  Make it up yourself.  “After all, another of the possible definitions is instead of an-topia it’s ant-opia, the playground of the ants, which links back to the metal sculpture that includes human beings, domestic animals, the not-urban and the not-natural.  People can get inside and thus participate within the place and become the new occupant.”

Plenty to explore as the music plays this Saturday, May 27 at Seekers Spirit House from 7 pm. 

Kumnooh: Cambodia arts for week commencing 16 May 2023

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Kumnooh was established ten years ago this month as a sister publication to LengPleng.com, the online music magazine for Cambodia, to provide basically a gig guide for the wider arts, covering art galleries, literature, dance, cinema, photography and now stand up comedy. 

You may be interested in becoming a Friend of Kumnooh, where we ask venues, artists and individuals to show their support by making a small monetary contribution to keep the lights on. In return for a boost in promotion, including a non-Facebook web page on our site for direct contact with the dedicated arts audience.  Check out our first example – Chhan Dina Gallery.  Queries by return email – fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.

For a more rock’n’roll view of Phnom Penh and the wider Cambodian music scene, please check out our sister publication lengpleng.com, the long running live music gig guide.

Send a ‘subscribe’ email to fabianhipp@kumnooh.com to receive Kumnooh in your inbox every Tuesday lunchtime.

Are we missing something?  Let us know at fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.
See you about…

Fabian Hipp
Kumnooh
fabianhipp@kumnooh.com

Drop Cloth: a few things you might not know about…

Photo: supplied.   

Ny Vannak is a self-taught artist with a range of distinctive styles, who has her own gallery/studio in Lanka Lane (viewings by appointment). She has exhibited work in many galleries in Phnom Penh including Chhan Dina Gallery and The Gallerist.  Her work is prominent in the Srey Art exhibition that opened for International Women’s Day at Sra’Art and which closes this weekend with a celebration on Saturday night. 

An artist or an aspect of the arts that you think is overrated:
I don’t judge other people or other artists.  Every artist has their own opinion, their own inspiration, their own style.  I experiment with many different styles, I am inspired by different artists from around the world. 

An early art memory:
When I was a little child I liked to play with clay to make pots, Buddhas, snakes – I would make anything to play with as a toy.  When I was young my mum couldn’t afford to send me to school, and I was sad that I could not go, but I would write in a book or on a banana leaf or even in the sand, anywhere I could.  I started to draw to have something to look at on the wall, didn’t think I would ever do anything like painting.  When I lived in Singapore I got more excited about art, I could visit museums and galleries and exhibitions.  I love museums, I love sculpture. 

The last thing you had to eat:
Rice with fried vegetables.

Where did you do your art studies?
I didn’t really study, but I went to a lot of art activities where I would just watch for an hour or two. 

When did you first leave Cambodia?
In 2013, when I went to Singapore. 

A book or movie you keep going back to:
I like to watch Disney kid movies, the animation and the landscapes, and documentaries about art styles and artists. 

What languages do you speak?
Khmer, English.  A little bit of Vietnamese but I’m forgetting it now that I focus on English. 

A country that you would like to visit:
Any country with big museums. 

Something people might be surprised to know about you:
I work at the craft beer bar Embargo and many customers are surprised to know that I am an artist!  Sometimes they even buy my work. 

A piece of advice for a young artist:
Whatever kind of art you feel from your heart, get up and do it.   Find your own style, create, express yourself.  Don’t wait, don’t hurry, go out and do it.  And go out to see art wherever you can find it. 

A question from last week’s participant – how do you see the future of art in society? 
For Cambodian society to understand more about art I think we need more museums.  My inspiration came from learning about art history through museum experiences in Singapore.

Event listings:

Tomorrow, Wednesday at Meta House, to mark International Day Against Homo- and Transphobia, an exhibition entitled The Art of Drag – “Five thoughtfully curated photo sequences capturing the essence of drag performance.”   From 5 pm. 
More info

Friday 19, Phnom Paint presents a painting exhibition by Olga Shkylar with wine and dessert tasting at French Wine Collection.  “Most of the presented artworks are paintings in various styles that are ideal for the interior design, uplift your spirits and bring positivity into your life.”  Until 25 May.  
More info

This coming weekend 19, 20, 26 and 27 May – at Java Creative Café Tuol Tom Pong, an independent production of the play Wind Up Mice by Khmer playwright Samithi Sok.  For more information, including ticketing, check the Facebook event here.  Media:  The Kumnooh Interview.  Note first night is sold out already.   

Saturday 20 at Sra’Art there is a closing night celebration for the Srey Art exhibition for International Women’s Day, featuring the works of Dahlia Phi, Ny Vannak, Raphaelle Martinez, Kari Podboy and Marie Hill. From 7 pm.
More info

A weekly class in life drawing for kids with Anastasia commences on Sunday 21 at Pteah Chas Community.
More info

Sunday 21 Comedy In Cambodia presents Sunday Comedown open mic at Noisy Chili Tap House, from 6 pm. 
More info

Friday 26, Sra’Art presents an open mic hosted by Initial G, from 7 pm.
More info

Also Friday 26, Meta House presents Poetronica – poetry readings from Kosal Khiev, Yeng Chheangly, Chan Somnang, Choun Sopheap and Antonio Pineda, with live music by Eclectic Universe and a DJ. 

Saturday 27 at Seekers Spirits is A-N-T-O-P-I-A / PAPERS – a mixed media participatory installation with performances, exhibitions and the Kampot Playboys.  “Videos and photographs on urban transformation presented by Pisey Kosal, Miguel Jeronimo and Carlo Santoro will stand alongside collages and paintings by three acclaimed artists from three different generations, Suos Sodavy, Chhim Sothy and Chhan Dina.  They will open perspectives on today’s life in the Cambodian cities.  Also join us for a tribute to Srey Bandaul, celebrated among the founding fathers of contemporary art in Battambang province.”

Mixed Media May returns to Shophouse Studio in 2023 – there is an open call for artists to participate in an exhibition to open 31 May.  Theme is Reconnecting to Nature – interaction between people and nature, the importance of nature, and architectural buildings and nature.  Deadline for submissions is 27 May. 
More info

The Musica Felice choir is holding auditions on 31 May and 3 June.   

On 3 June at Speak Easy Theater – Comedy In Cambodia presents Ian Harvey Stone (UK).  Tickets now available. 
More info

8 – 10 June at Singapore Cambodia International Academy, Phnom Penh Players present Alice In Wonderland: The Musical. 
More info

And coming next month to Meta House – Asia South East-Short Film Festival 2023.

Ongoing….

Exhibitions:  
Chhan Dina Gallery
An on-going display of the work of Chhan Dina work from throughout her career is augmented, on a rolling schedule, with works of contemporary masters and up-and-coming painters.  For appointment to view call 012 968 582.
More info

Erick Gonzalez Gallery/L’Atelier d’Erick Gonzalez
Exhibition by Tytaart (Cambodia) and Nicolas GUYOT (France). “A bridge that takes us from the visible to the imaginary, from the concrete to the conceptual, and finally from the personal to the universal.”   Until 22 May. 
Media: Cambodge Mag (FR)

The Gallerist
A continuously rolling collection of works by mostly Cambodian artists.  Currently showing is works by André Nadal – “Zen and dynamic artworks pull us in a pondering that both calms and stimulates the spirit.”
More info

Meta House
Opening Wednesday 17 to mark International Day Against Homo- and Transphobia, an exhibition entitled The Art of Drag – “Five thoughtfully curated photo sequences capturing the essence of drag performance.”
More info

Ny Vannak
Small studio gallery in Lanka Lane, off St 51 in BKK1 featuring the work of Ny Vannak.
Visit the gallery by appointment –  WhatsApp/ Telegram 099 509 412 / 0978572328

Romchiek 5 Art Space
Battambang contemporary art studio.  Rolling exhibitions.  

Sa Sa Art Projects
Rebuild by Kong Dara, Leng Kimsreang and Soung Pheakdey on show through to 17 May.
More info

Sofitel
Tribe Cambodia presents the opening of Elements of the Lotus by Ponleu.   Until end of June. 
Media: Cambodge Mag (FR)   Sovrin Magazine (KH)  CGB Media (KH)
More info

Space Four Zero
Prints, paintings, vintage posters, pop art, CDs and vinyl.  Open daily. 
More info

Sra’Art
Srey Art exhibition for International Women’s Day, featuring the works of Dahlia Phi,
Ny Vannak, Raphaelle Martinez, Kari Podboy and Marie Hill. Until 20 May.
More info

Regular events, classes, sessions:

Drink & Draw every Monday at Cloud, 6.30 pm. 
More info

Tuesdays, 4 – 4.45 pm at Giving Tree International School, after school art lessons by Mirasol Aguila. 

Every Wednesday Comedy in Cambodia present Stand Up Social at Speak Easy Theater.  7.30 pm.   

Kids Art Club, Saturdays at Botanico, presented by Sra’Art, 10 am and 11 am. 
More info

N o w h e r e Art Studio
A range of arts and crafts workshops at different times.  Saturday 13 May is Hand-Building Ceramics For Beginners, 10 am.  

Khmer Architecture Tours conducts Sunday architecture tours in Phnom Penh to promote the understanding of modern architecture in Cambodia, focusing on buildings erected after independence in 1953, described as ‘New Khmer Architecture’, while setting these in the historical context of Phnom Penh.  Here is the schedule for May.

Pteah Chas Community.
Sunday classes in life drawing for kids with Anastasia.
More info

Kumnooh: Cambodia arts for week commencing 9 May 2023

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Welcome to the return of Kumnooh – week two.  For those catching up: Kumnooh was originally established in ten years ago this month as a sister publication to LengPleng.com, the online music magazine for Cambodia, to provide basically a gig guide for the wider arts, covering art galleries, literature, dance, cinema, photography and so on. 

The new Kumnooh will be providing more interviews and profiles than in the past.  This week you can find below both our interview with Cambodian playwright Samithi Sok and the new regular mini-profile Drop Cloth (based on the LengPleng mini-profile Passing Chords) with our first participant Chhan Dina.  If you have an artist you would like to know more about, or an exhibition you would like to promote, we are always open to suggestions. 

You may be interested in becoming a Friend of Kumnooh, where we ask venues, artists and individuals to show their support by making a small monetary contribution to keep the lights on. In return for a boost in promotion, including a non-Facebook web page on our site for direct contact with the dedicated arts audience.  Check out our first example – Chhan Dina Gallery.  Queries by return email – fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.

This Week’s Kumnooh Feature Article

It happens once: Samithi Sok’s joy of theatre

Coming soon to Java Creative Café Tuol Tom Pong is a new play by playwright Samithi Sok, Wind Up Mice, co-directed by Samithi and Marika Els.  Samithi was good enough to sit down with Kumnooh this week to discuss the world of theatre. 

“This is the second play that I’ve written and directed,” says Samithi.  “Wind Up Mice is about a couple who are trapped in a time-loop and they are forced to relive their relationship over and over again from start to finish.  It explores ideas of free will, resentments and toxic relationships, trying to preserve what we can really hold on to. 

Read the full article here

Drop Cloth … a few things you might not know about…

Photo: David Flack

Chhan Dina.  A prominent figure in the Cambodian art scene, active in painting and sculpture, Dina also has been involved in Community of Artists events over the last couple of years as well as putting on many solo and group exhibitions.  Her gallery is located at the bottom of St 13, near the National Museum. 

Is there an artist or an aspect of the arts that you think is overrated?
Since 1975 Cambodia hasn’t had visual art, so the Cambodian audience for art is not well developed.  The art that many Cambodians think is very good, it’s not really very good.  You have to learn the basics, and then work very hard to make good art. 

Is there an artist or an aspect of the arts that you think is underrated?
Art is not just about what you can create, it is important to look at the history.  And young artists can learn a lot from older artists and the advice that they can give. 

An early art memory?
I remember when I was very young I would lay down and look at the clouds, all the interesting shapes.  And I would take the sap from trees – shines like a diamond! – and I made myself some jewellery from it, rings and necklaces.  Then my cousin and I would take clay from the road to make clay animals and clay dolls because we didn’t have many toys – I remember waiting for them to dry so that I could play.  One last one – when I walked home from school I would always see a man standing by the road painting, and I would stop and watch. 

The last thing you had to eat?
Warren made me scrambled eggs on toast. 

Where did you do your studies?
My teacher Ron, an American, taught me all about art, the basics and how to use my imagination. 

When did you first leave Cambodia?
When I was young I went to Singapore, about 15 years old, with my teacher Ron, to visit museums and galleries.  I was so nervous flying in an aeroplane for the first time. 

A book or movie you keep going back to?
I like to watch scary movies – they make me not afraid of anything. 

What languages do you speak?
Khmer and English. 

A country that you would like to visit?
So many places…. USA!

Something people might be surprised to know about you?
When I was young a friend of mine from Singapore gave me a guitar – it was taller than me – and for many years I played guitar every day.  Music remains an inspiration for me. 

What advice would you give to a young artist starting out? 
It is easy to say I want to be an artist but to actually become an artist is very hard.  Art is from your heart, you really have to create something that you love, and put your soul into your art. 

For a more rock’n’roll view of Phnom Penh and the wider Cambodian music scene, please check out our sister publication lengpleng.com, the long running live music gig guide.

Send a ‘subscribe’ email to fabianhipp@kumnooh.com to receive Kumnooh in your inbox every Tuesday lunchtime.

Are we missing something?  Let us know at fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.
See you about…

Fabian Hipp
Kumnooh
fabianhipp@kumnooh.com

Event listings:

Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, and continuing through the weekend, Cannes in Phnom Penh, a selection of films from the festival, will be screened at Institut francais du Cambodge and Major Cinepex.  
More info

Pop up market Psar Bassac will be held 13 and 14 May at community art studio Rong Cheang.  Arts, crafts and workshops – including Terrazzo with recycled glass.
More info

Coming to Meta House on 17 May, The Art of Drag – “Five thoughtfully curated photo sequences capturing the essence of drag performance.”
More info

Later this month – 19, 20, 26 and 27 May – at Java Creative Café Tuol Tom Pong, an independent production of the play Wind Up Mice by Khmer playwright Samithi Sok.  For more information, including ticketing, check the Facebook event here.

On 20 May, a closing night celebration for Srey Art exhibition for International Women’s Day, featuring the works of Dahlia Phi, Ny Vannak, Raphaelle Martinez, Kari Podboy and Marie Hill.
More info

Also on 20 May, The Piano Trilogy 1 at Meta House featuring Christina Sen from Cambodia, Philippe Javelle from France and Gabriele Faja from Italy.  7 pm. 
More info

Friday 26, Sra’Art presents an open mic hosted by Initial G, from 7 pm.
More info

Saturday 27 at Seekers Spirits is A-N-T-O-P-I-A / PAPERS – a mixed media participatory installation with performances, exhibitions and the Kampot Playboys.  “Videos and photographs on urban transformation presented by Pisey Kosal, Miguel Jeronimo and Carlo Santoro will stand alongside collages and paintings by three acclaimed artists from three different generations, Suos Sodavy, Chhim Sothy and Chhan Dina.  They will open perspectives on today’s life in the Cambodian cities.  Also join us for a tribute to Srey Bandaul, celebrated among the founding fathers of contemporary art in Battambang province.”

And coming next month to Meta House – Asia South East-Short Film Festival 2023.

Ongoing….

Exhibitions:  
Chhan Dina Gallery
An on-going display of the work of Chhan Dina work from throughout her career is augmented, on a rolling schedule, with works of contemporary masters and up-and-coming painters.  For appointment to view call 012 968 582.
More info

Erick Gonzalez Gallery/L’Atelier d’Erick Gonzalez
Exhibition by Tytaart (Cambodia) and Nicolas GUYOT (France). “A bridge that takes us from the visible to the imaginary, from the concrete to the conceptual, and finally from the personal to the universal.”   Until 22 May. 
Media: Cambodge Mag (FR)

The Gallerist
A continuously rolling collection of works by mostly Cambodian artists.  Currently showing is Roots, the very first exhibition in Cambodia of French Cambodian artist Ramya Chuon.
More info

Meta House
Uncontemporary Contemporaries, gouaches by Ernst Altmann, featuring Run. “Ernst Altmann is a German painter based in Phnom Penh. We invite you to his new show at Meta House, in collaboration with Cambodian self-taught artist Run. “We are rather uncommon artist friends, coming from different corners of this world”, writes Altmann. “Yet, the results of our collaboration show plenty of similarities. I meet Run for the first time in 2014 when he became my assistant during a shadow puppet play project at Meta House. Back then, we could not communicate because of the language. However, Run isn´t much of a talker anyway. The level of understanding we developed nevertheless amazed me.”

Ny Vannak
Small studio gallery in Lanka Lane, off St 51 in BKK1 featuring the work of Ny Vannak.
Visit the gallery by appointment –  WhatsApp/ Telegram 099 509 412 / 0978572328

Romchiek 5 Art Space
Battambang contemporary art studio.  Rolling exhibitions.  

Sa Sa Art Projects
Rebuild by Kong Dara, Leng Kimsreang and Soung Pheakdey on show through to 17 May.
More info

Sofitel
Tribe Cambodia presents the opening of Elements of the Lotus by Ponleu.   Until end of June. 
Media: Cambodge Mag (FR)   Sovrin Magazine (KH)
More info

Space Four Zero
Prints, paintings, vintage posters, pop art, CDs and vinyl.  Open daily. 
More info

Sra’Art
Srey Art exhibition for International Women’s Day, featuring the works of Dahlia Phi,
Ny Vannak, Raphaelle Martinez, Kari Podboy and Marie Hill. Until 20 May.
More info

Regular events, classes, sessions:

Drink & Draw every Monday at Cloud, 6.30 pm. 
More info

Tuesdays, 4 – 4.45 pm at Giving Tree International School, after school art lessons by Mirasol Aguila. 

Every Wednesday Comedy in Cambodia present Stand Up Social at Speak Easy Theater.  7.30 pm.   

Kids Art Club, Saturdays at Botanico, presented by Sra’Art, 10 am and 11 am. 
More info

N o w h e r e Art Studio
A range of arts and crafts workshops at different times.  Saturday 13 May is Hand-Building Ceramics For Beginners, 10 am.  

Khmer Architecture Tours conducts Sunday architecture tours in Phnom Penh to promote the understanding of modern architecture in Cambodia, focusing on buildings erected after independence in 1953, described as ‘New Khmer Architecture’, while setting these in the historical context of Phnom Penh.  Here is the schedule for May.



It happens once: Samithi Sok’s joy of theatre

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Coming soon to Java Creative Café Tuol Tom Pong is a new play by playwright Samithi Sok, Wind Up Mice, co-directed by Samithi and Marika Els.  Samithi was good enough to sit down with Kumnooh this week to discuss the world of theatre. 

“This is the second play that I’ve written and directed,” says Samithi.  “Wind Up Mice is about a couple who are trapped in a time-loop and they are forced to relive their relationship over and over again from start to finish.  It explores ideas of free will, resentments and toxic relationships, trying to preserve what we can really hold on to.  Three sets of actors represent the one relationship in three different time-frames.” 

Theatre’s low profile in Cambodia meant that it has been mostly learning-by-doing for Samithi, who got involved while attending ISPP, taking part in teacher-led and then student-led drama and musical productions, and by year 11 had caught the theatre bug enough to take it as a subject in his IB.  This was followed by studies at the University of York, unfortunately cut short by COVID.

Last October his first play, 12-8, was produced by Phnom Penh Players.  This time he and Marika wanted to strike out on their own.  “The Phnom Penh Players are very well-established, they’ve been around for a long time.  I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it independently.  I have a great team to support me – I don’t think I would have been able to do it if I didn’t have my co-director Marika.  She is my rock, and she has helped me in every step.  We’ve got a great team – our performers are really giving their all – especially we have two actors who have never done a show before, but they are working hard, really doing their very best.” 

Independence has its costs as well as benefits, he admits.  “The biggest hurdle with this show is trying to get the word out.  Theatre is already very niche globally, and particularly in Cambodia it can be a challenge to find people to come to auditions, people who are willing to take on production roles, and importantly, to find and encourage audiences to attend.” 

Although born and raised in Phnom Penh, the 22 year old is one of the new generation finding their expressive voice through English.  “I’m more comfortable in English than I am in Khmer.  When I was very young I lived for some time in Switzerland, and there were not many people I could speak Khmer with, so I feel a little stunted in my grasp of the mother tongue.  I struggle with this – the previous play 12-8 was about two young adult Cambodians working in a convenience store and trying to figure out what they’re going to do with their lives, and I grappled with myself, is it really authentic if I’m writing in English all the time?  I decided that if I’m going to limit myself to only writing in Khmer then I’ll never be able to say anything.  More and more young people are learning English now.  And it’s there in the writing – the characters both speak in English and so feel alienated from their own society, they have trouble to connect, even though they want to fill that gap.” 

Rehearsals in progress. Photo: supplied

So why would a young Cambodian pursue something as obscure as theatre?  “What I love the most about theatre is the collaboration between the actors and the audience.  Knowing that it is a stage, and there’s a real live person in front of you, there’s an inherent layer of artifice.  It’s not like a movie where the aim is for super-realism.  You are already suspending disbelief – I am watching you be a different person in a different room.  It’s an interesting dynamic that doesn’t exist anywhere else. 

“And the magic of knowing that each performance is only going to happen once.  It doesn’t last, it shouldn’t last, and that is also what makes it so hard.  Anything that happens on the stage is only going to happen one time.  Opening night is all adrenalin and the excitement, when the energy is the highest; by the time you get to closing night the actors are the most comfortable with the play and they can play around a bit more.  It really feels magical – it happens once and it will never happen again. 

“One of my favourite plays is 70 Scenes of Halloween by Jeffrey Jones.  It blends a surreal presentation with horror-esque and strange goings-on with a very human story about a couple whose marriage is failing.  I like that blend, leading the audience in with something weird or funny, then follow up by hitting them with something quite affecting.”

Wind-up Mice may be experienced on 19, 20, 26 and 27 May at 7 pm, with an additional matinee at 1 pm on 27 May, at Java Creative Cafe Toul Tom Poung.   Tickets $12, available through this link. 

Rehearsals in progress. Photo: supplied

Darryl Collins: an appreciation of his contribution to Cambodia, 1994 -2023

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By Margaret Bywater

Darryl Collins came to Cambodia at the beginning of 1994, as part of a restoration project working with the staff of the National Museum of Cambodia. Completion of repairs to the roof and other renovations were marked by a ceremony attended by King Sihanouk and the then Governor-General of Australia, The Hon. Bill Hayden, AC, on 28 April 1995.  Darryl returned briefly to Australia, but his Phnom Penh experience was to change his life; he resigned his job at the Australian National Gallery and was soon back in Cambodia teaching English at Australian Centre for Education, a connection that he retained for many years as a teacher and an examiner.  He encouraged many young Cambodians to pursue further study overseas.

From late 1999, Darryl was a lecturer at the Royal University of Fine Arts in the Department of Archaeology. During this time the chance finding of a very large collection of small black and white photographs of buildings in Cambodia led to a seven-year research project – he worked with fellow RUFA teacher and architect Helen Grant Ross and architectural student /researcher Hon Sokol produced a groundbreaking work, Building Cambodia: New Khmer Architecture 1953-1970, which was published in December 2006. 
 
As Manager of the Collection Inventory Project in 2004 Darryl directed the important task of creating a digital register of the entire collection of the National Museum, including the transfer of all the early French records.  Darryl continued to conduct research, further developing his understanding and appreciation of Khmer culture and civilisation, including a one-year consultancy for the Department of Culture and Research of the APSARA Authority, ceaselessly lecturing and writing articles for publication in local and international journals and newsletters.  Darryl delighted in sharing his knowledge with students, the general public and other scholars and interested visitors to the kingdom.  He was appointed to the Board of Heritage International and was still a board member at the time of his death.
 
Once Darryl moved to Siem Reap in 2008, he became a well known figure in the community and was widely respected for his knowledge of Khmer history and culture. He donated a collection from his own library when the Centre for Khmer Studies Library was establishing its Southeast Asia collection in 2001.

His personal belief in the need to preserve and document traditional Khmer wooden houses and the need to encourage Cambodians to value these beautiful dwellings is the light that shines on every page of his last book, Cambodian Wooden Houses: 1,000 years of Khmer heritage, co-authored with Hok Sokol, published by SIPAR, 2021.

Kumnooh: Cambodia arts for week commencing 2 May 2023

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Welcome to the return of Kumnooh.  We were originally established in ten years ago this month as a sister publication to LengPleng.com, the online music magazine for Cambodia, to provide basically a gig guide for the wider arts, covering art galleries, literature, dance, cinema, photography and so on.  The pandemic shut things down in 2020, we returned in 2022 only to succumb to the visissitudes of life late in the year.

Now Kumnooh is back – this Tuesday and following Tuesdays into the future.  Sign up for the email list by sending a subscribe email to fabianhipp@kumnooh.com or just browse at kumnooh.com.  Note that we will be also be expanding our listings to include stand up comedy.  We also hope in the weeks to come to begin including more feature interviews and profiles of artists and arts goings-on throughout Cambodia, so if you have an event coming please get in touch. 

And we have two favours to ask.  One is your patience while we get back up to speed, and your assistance in altering us to new activities or venues that have sprung up (or closed) in the interim that may not be on our radar currently. 

The other is that we are establishing something called Friends of Kumnooh, based on the successful Friends of LengPleng campaign, where we ask venues, artists and individuals to show their support by making a small monetary contribution to keep the lights on at Kumnooh Towers. In return for a boost in promotion, including a non-Facebook web page on our site for direct contact with the dedicated arts audience.  Details on this will come next week.  Queries by return email – fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.

Darryl Collins: an appreciation of his contribution to Cambodia, 1994 – 2023

By Margaret Bywater

Darryl Collins came to Cambodia at the beginning of 1994, as part of a restoration project working with the staff of the National Museum of Cambodia. Completion of repairs to the roof and other renovations were marked by a ceremony attended by King Sihanouk and the then Governor-General of Australia, The Hon. Bill Hayden, AC, on 28 April 1995.  Darryl returned briefly to Australia, but his Phnom Penh experience was to change his life; he resigned his job at the Australian National Gallery and was soon back in Cambodia teaching English at Australian Centre for Education, a connection that he retained for many years as a teacher and an examiner.  He encouraged many young Cambodians to pursue further study overseas.

From late 1999, Darryl was a lecturer at the Royal University of Fine Arts in the Department of Archaeology. During this time the chance finding of a very large collection of small black and white photographs of buildings in Cambodia led to a seven-year research project – he worked with fellow RUFA teacher and architect Helen Grant Ross and architectural student /researcher Hon Sokol produced a groundbreaking work, Building Cambodia: New Khmer Architecture 1953-1970, which was published in December 2006. 

As Manager of the Collection Inventory Project in 2004 Darryl directed the important task of creating a digital register of the entire collection of the National Museum, including the transfer of all the early French records.  Darryl continued to conduct research, further developing his understanding and appreciation of Khmer culture and civilisation, including a one-year consultancy for the Department of Culture and Research of the APSARA Authority, ceaselessly lecturing and writing articles for publication in local and international journals and newsletters.  Darryl delighted in sharing his knowledge with students, the general public and other scholars and interested visitors to the kingdom.  He was appointed to the Board of Heritage International and was still a board member at the time of his death.

Once Darryl moved to Siem Reap in 2008, he became a well known figure in the community and was widely respected for his knowledge of Khmer history and culture. He donated a collection from his own library when the Centre for Khmer Studies Library was establishing its Southeast Asia collection in 2001.

His personal belief in the need to preserve and document traditional Khmer wooden houses and the need to encourage Cambodians to value these beautiful dwellings is the light that shines on every page of his last book, Cambodian Wooden Houses: 1,000 years of Khmer heritage, co-authored with Hok Sokol, published by SIPAR, 2021.

For a more rock’n’roll view of Phnom Penh and the wider Cambodian music scene, please check out our sister publication lengpleng.com, the long running live music gig guide.

Send a ‘subscribe’ email to fabianhipp@kumnooh.com to receive Kumnooh in your inbox every Tuesday lunchtime.

Are we missing something?  Let us know at fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.
See you about…

Fabian Hipp
Kumnooh
fabianhipp@kumnooh.com

Event listings:

Every Wednesday Comedy in Cambodia present Stand Up Social at Speak Easy Theater.  7.30 pm.   

Thursday 4, 7 pm at Meta House the Phnom Penh Players present Story Slam storytelling competition.  “No scripts, no cue cards, no weeks of practice allowed!  Bring your best story and tell it the way you would share with your friends. Come to make us laugh, make us cry, or make us feel sorry for you.”  Prompt: when was the first time you realised you were in love?   
More info

Friday 5 Sra’Art presents an open mic hosted by Initial G, from 7 pm – POSTPONED TO MAY 26
More info

Saturday 6 from noon at Sofitel, Tribe Cambodia presents the opening of Elements of the Lotus by Ponleu.   
More info

Phnom Penh Photography Collective’s Phnom Penh Photo Walk #4 takes place this Saturday 6 from 3 pm.  Styles of Phnom Penh is the theme – starts and finishes at Wild but you can join at any time. 
More info

Cine-Saturday at Bophana Center this week – historical films Royal Procession (1967) and Women during Sangkum Reastr Niyum (1960).   Saturday 6, 5 pm. 

Pop up market Psar Bassac will be held 13 and 14 May at community art studio Rong Cheang.  Arts, crafts and workshops – including Terrazzo with recycled glass.
More info

Coming to Meta House on 17 May, The Art of Drag – “Five thoughtfully curated photo sequences capturing the essence of drag performance.”
More info

Later this month – 19, 20, 26 and 27 May – at Java Creative Café Tuol Tom Pong, an independent production of the play Wind Up Mice by Khmer playwright Samithi Sok.  For more information, including ticketing, check the Facebook event here.

Also later this month, Saturday 27 at Seekers Spirits is A-N-T-O-P-I-A / PAPERS – a mixed media participatory installation with performances, exhibitions and the Kampot Playboys.  “Videos and photographs on urban transformation presented by Pisey Kosal, Miguel Jeronimo and Carlo Santoro will stand alongside collages and paintings by three acclaimed artists from three different generations, Suos Sodavy, Chhim Sothy and Chhan Dina.  They will open perspectives on today’s life in the Cambodian cities.  Also join us for a tribute to Srey Bandaul, celebrated among the founding fathers of contemporary art in Battambang province.”

And coming next month to Meta House – Asia South East-Short Film Festival 2023.

Ongoing….

Exhibitions:  
Chhan Dina Gallery
An on-going display of the work of Chhan Dina work from throughout her career is augmented, on a rolling schedule, with works of contemporary masters and up-and-coming painters.  For appointment to view call 012 968 582.
More info

The Gallerist
A continuously rolling collection of works by mostly Cambodian artists.  Currently showing is Roots, the very first exhibition in Cambodia of French Cambodian artist Ramya Chuon.
More info

Romchiek 5 Art Space
Battambang contemporary art studio.  Rolling exhibitions.  

Sa Sa Art Projects
Rebuild by Kong Dara, Leng Kimsreang and Soung Pheakdey on show through to 17 May 2023.
More info

Space Four Zero
Prints, paintings, vintage posters, pop art, CDs and vinyl.  Open daily. 
More info

Sra’Art
Srey Art exhibition for International Women’s Day, featuring the works of Dahlia Phi,
Ny Vannak, Raphaelle Martinez, Kari Podboy and Marie Hill.
More info

Regular events, classes, sessions:

Every Wednesday Comedy in Cambodia present Stand Up Social at Speak Easy Theater.  7.30 pm.   

Kids Art Club, Saturdays at Botanico, presented by Sra’Art, 10 am and 11 am. 
More info

N o w h e r e Art Studio
A range of arts and crafts workshops at different times.  Saturday 6 May is Self-portrait acrylic painting, 9 am.  

Khmer Architecture Tours conducts Sunday architecture tours in Phnom Penh to promote the understanding of modern architecture in Cambodia, focusing on buildings erected after independence in 1953, described as ‘New Khmer Architecture’, while setting these in the historical context of Phnom Penh.  Here is the schedule for May.


Kumnooh: Cambodia arts for week commencing 15 November, 2022

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Greetings:

The next meeting of the Phnom Penh Literati Society  will be held at The Box Office on Tuesday 15 – an informal gathering for readings, presentations, poetry and prose.  Starts at 7 pm sharp. 

On Friday 18 at 7 pm, Sra’Art presents an artist talk by Jean-Baptiste Phou.  “The first photographic project of a creator who expresses himself through words by exposing himself is a daring risk. In square and black and white, Jean-Baptiste Phou deconstructs his body, holds his camera at arm’s length, like an extension of himself, sometimes leaving a part to chance in these images that are, in turn, soft, enigmatic, sensual, graphic. He thus overcomes, as he says himself, what has paralyzed him for years: fear and modesty.”
More info

Ongoing until the end of November, Photo Phnom Penh Festival 2022 presents a range of activities at the French Institute and other venues.   
More info

ID-Entities, a mixed media art exhibition with artist talks,  featuring Vutha Tor, Erick Gonzalez, Robit Pen,Vannak Khun, Tyta Buth and Carlo Santoro presented by Metaestica Lab will now be held at Meta House, opening 19 November at 5.30 pm and on display until 14 December.
More info

There will be a talk by Vietnamese artist Ngoc Nau on Wednesday 23 at Sa Sa Art Projects.  “Ngoc Nau is currently working with various mediums such as video installation using 3D software, and other open sources on internet to creating new dimensions for video. She also works with photographic light boxes, holograms and Augmented Reality.”  In English with Khmer interpreter.  6 pm. 

Ikigai Arts Center will close on 30 November, after the closure of the shop on 15 November.   The ongoing Cycle of Screenings will continue as planned.
For a more rock’n’roll view of Phnom Penh and the wider Cambodian music scene, please check out our sister publication lengpleng.com, the long running live music gig guide.

Send a ‘subscribe’ email to fabianhipp@kumnooh.com to receive Kumnooh in your inbox every Tuesday lunchtime.

Are we missing something?  Let us know at fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.

See you about…

Fabian Hipp
Kumnooh
fabianhipp@kumnooh.com

Ongoing…. exhibitions, dance performances and others

Exhibitions:  

Apsara Angkor Art Gallery (Siem Reap)
An exhibition of the work of Phnom Penh artist Nyart.

Chhan Dina Gallery
An on-going display of Chhan Dina’s work from throughout her career is augmented, on a rolling schedule, with works of contemporary masters and up-and-coming painters.  New opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am – 3.30 pm.  
More info

The Gallerist
A continuously rolling collection of works by mostly Cambodian artists.
More info

Java Creative Café Tuol Tom Pong
By A Thread, a collaboration between Jean-Baptiste Phou and Sao Sreymao, an exhibition of film, photography, installation and performance that “emphatically explores communication and grief”.  Daily film screenings at 6 pm until 27 November.  An additional artist talk will be held on 19 November before a closing performance on 27 November.  A participatory digital installation will also allow people to share their own stories.  
More info

Pi-Pet-Pi Gallery
10 Years After with Nget Chanpenh and Hour Seyha, marking the ten year anniversary of the first exhibition by the two Romcheik Pram artists.  “Seyha and Chanpenh are 2 of the success stories that have created incredible art and narrative since graduating the Phare art school in Battambang.”

Romchiek 5 Art Space
Battambang contemporary art studio.  Rolling exhibitions.  

Silapak Trotchaek Pneik // by YK Art House
Sampot Sor (White Skirt), a new exhibition by Sao Sreymao.  Until 9 November.   Media:  Cambodianess
More info

Space Four Zero
Prints, paintings, vintage posters, pop art, CDs and vinyl.  Open daily. 
More info

Regular events, classes, sessions:

Regular on Saturdays at Sra’Art offer classes in art history and techniques: 9 am for children and 11 am for adults.  
More info

Also regular on Saturdays mornings at Botanico, presented by Sra’Art, hour-long kids’ art sessions, 10 am and 11 am. 
More info

N o w h e r e Art Studio
A range of arts and crafts workshops at different times.  Saturday 5 November is Self-portrait acrylic painting, 9 am.