Greetings:
Drop Cloth: a few things you might not know about
David Alfie Ward – a British comedian who has played across the UK, Europe, South Africa, South East Asia, the Middle East, USA and Australia. He heads the bill this Saturday 12 at The Box Office as the guest of Comedy in Cambodia. Tickets here.
Is there a comedian or an aspect of comedy that you think is overrated?
Too much crowd work. I love crowd work, but there are definitely comedians farming for clips by asking audience members the same questions over and over again. It can start to feel a bit formulaic.
Is there a comedian, artist or an aspect of comedy that you think is underrated?
He’s no longer with us, but the late Patrice O’Neal never really got the respect he deserved. For me, he’s one of the greatest comedians ever.
An early comedy memory?
Watching Billy Connolly with my dad. My dad was laughing so much he was almost crying, but I was too young to really understand why. I just remember trying to work out how one man standing on a stage and saying words could get that kind of reaction from someone. I think that really stuck with me.
The last thing you had to eat?
Ice cream.
How did you get your start in comedy?
I always loved performing and making people laugh, and from my teenage years I knew it was something I wanted to do. Eventually I did my first ever stand-up show in a tiny bar in London, which is now a kebab shop. Haha.
When did you first come to Cambodia?
I haven’t! This will be my first time in Cambodia and I genuinely can’t wait.
A book or movie you keep going back to?
Rocky. Any Rocky apart from Rocky V.
What languages do you speak?
English and a tiny, tiny bit of Spanish.
A country that you would like to visit?
Cambodia! 😉
Something people might be surprised to know about you?
I absolutely love planes. I properly geek out over all things aviation.
What advice would you give to a young comedian starting out?
Keep the faith. The fact that you’re able to get up on stage and do it in the first place means you’re already so much further along than you probably realise. Keep getting on stage, keep learning and don’t give up.
A question from the last participant: What would your job be if this weren’t your job?
I’d like to think I’d do something that involved helping people in some way. Maybe working for a charity.
A question for next week’s participant:
In a zombie apocalypse, how many five-year-old zombies do you reckon you could take on at once before being overwhelmed?
Event listings:
On Saturday 12 The Greenhouse is offering creative writing workshops – poetry in the morning and prose in the afternoon.
More info
Also on Saturday 12, at The Box Office, Comedy in Cambodia presents international headliner David Alfie Ward (UK) – see Drop Cloth above. Tickets here. 7.30 pm.
More info
Opening on Sunday 13 at Botanico is A Poiesis, a new exhibition by artist Naro Ao. “A Poiesis is an immersive journey through longing, belonging, grief, restraint and transformation — expressed through paintings paired with the artist’s own poetry. It doesn’t try to answer or explain life, but lingers within its contradictions: love and loss, hope and despair, intimacy and distance, individuality and community.” From 5.30 pm; until November 8.
More info
Sunday 13, and the following Sundays until October 18, 2 pm and 4 pm, are performances of Heritages by The Last Stage. “Exploring the circulation of language, cultural influences and artistic expressions between Cambodia and France.” A 45 minute show performed at the former Banque d’Indochine near SOSORO Museum.
More info
Over last weekend at The River Gallery in Siem Reap was the opening of Apres la pluie (After the rain), a group exhibition bringing together French and Cambodian artists based in Siem Reap. “Through painting, photography and sculpture, the artists explore the relationship between water, nature and resilience, reflecting on the moment after the rain as a time of transformation, renewal and hope.” Until November 4.
More info
Now open at Vann Molyvann House is the Living Structures Artist Grants Exhibition, showcasing new works by the five 2026 artist grant recipients: Srun Rida, Hul Kanha, Mech Sereyrath, Meng Vengkeng, and Sou Oudom. “Developed through the Living Structures Artist Grants programme, these works explore Cambodia’s architectural heritage, modernity, memory, and place through five distinct artistic perspectives.”
More info
Department of Mutual Support: Friends of LengPleng (and Kumnooh too)
For less than 6,000 riel a week you too could have your venue/business promoted deep into the arts audience; or you might just like to support the work being done by these two entities who trawl Facebook so you don’t have to. For more information: fabianhipp@kumnooh.com / gigs@lengpleng.com, or bail up Scoddy wherever you see him.
Ongoing….
Exhibitions:
Bophana Center
Where Temples Become Home, a rare collection of photographs of Cambodian temples taken by Jean Boulbet, a French ethnologist, geographer, and cartographer. Exhibition extended to September 30. Media: Cambodianess
More info
Bossbha’s House (Battambang)
Solo exhibition by artist Chea Sereyroth: , The Veil of Night. “Displaying the artworks which reflect on dreams which have been blossoming across the globe and floating through the universe while the dewdrops seem to bring moisture to a deep and peaceful slumber, accompanied by the lengthening journey.”
More info
Galaxy Store (Siem Reap)
The Wisdom of the Space In Between, an exhibition of paintings by Amé Kunty.
More info
The Gallerist
Rolling exhibitions of mostly Cambodian artists. Currently showing works by ROMA. “Originally trained as a plaster craftsman, ROMA brings an instinctive understanding of texture and matter into his artistic practice. Painting and sculpture become a way of exploring what remains beneath the surface: fragments of memory, blurred perceptions and the landscapes of the subconscious.”
More info
Institut Francais
Spirit, Body and Land, by Khvay Samnang. “From 2016 to 2026, Khvay Samnang traversed forests, borders, and communities to explore our relationship with the earth, with life, and with the sacred. Masks made from raw materials, performances in natural landscapes, and captivating videos—his work blends animism, ecological urgency, and the memory of bodies. This exhibition examines what colonization and globalization have fractured: the connection between humanity, nature, and the supernatural.” Until September 26.
Kep ArtBar
Reclamations, an exhibition of new artworks by Mary Volm.
More info
Meta House
Women and Children First, an exhibition of photography by French street photographer Victor Boissel. “In Phnom Penh, women move with purpose, children occupy the city with playful freedom, while men often claim the quiet privilege of simply lingering, resting, and taking up space.
Victor Boissel turns this everyday imbalance on its head. Photographing Phnom Penh’s streets day after day, he places women and children at the center of the frame, giving them the space, visibility and presence they deserve.”
More info
MiMü
Mini-Museum of Contemporary Art at Meta House features research, knowledge sharing, workshops, and visual presentations through various media, showcasing videos, prints, installations, and fine arts through interactive events and live performances. Currently on display is The Meta House Collection, an exhibition of 22 works by Cambodian and international contemporary artists, created between 2000–2025, exploring memory, identity, and transformation in Cambodia.
More info
Plantation
Manifest , an exhibition by Lena Kinza. “Cambodia-based artist Lena Kinza explores the relationship between perception, transformation, and the ever-changing nature of reality. Working across a range of media—from traditional canvas to skin—Lena Kinza bridges classical artistic discipline with contemporary visual expression.” Until end of September. Media: Kiripost.com
More info
Pteah Chas / Shophouse Studio
Ponlork, a solo exhibition by Ly Sokvichea. “Ponlok — the Khmer word for “sprout” — is both metaphor and guiding principle. Bringing together works made over several years, the exhibition traces an evolving journey rooted in cultural preservation, research, and creative reinterpretation: a slow unfurling of memory, heritage, and imagination.” Media: Khmerer
More info
Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor (Siem Reap)
Current artist in residence is DinArt.
More info
The River Gallery (Siem Reap)
Apres la pluie (After the rain), a group exhibition bringing together French and Cambodian artists based in Siem Reap. “Through painting, photography and sculpture, the artists explore the relationship between water, nature and resilience, reflecting on the moment after the rain as a time of transformation, renewal and hope.” Until November 4.
More info
Romchiek 5 Art Space
Battambang contemporary art studio. Rolling exhibitions. Media: Le Petit Journal (FR)(June 2025)
R5 Showroom Phnom Penh
Escaping the Grid, a duo exhibition of works by watercolourist Mil Chankrim and abstract painter Nget Chanpenh. “Together, these works reveal two conditions of contemporary existence: the external grid that confines us and the internal grid that fragments the self. Escaping the Grid becomes both a political and psychological act — a search for wholeness in a world that surveils, divides, and dissolves human identity.”
More info
Rosewood Phnom Penh
Roots of the Village: Stories of Soil, Water, and Survival, an exhibition of paintings and sculpture by Chhan Dina. “I work in vibrant oil and acrylic on canvas, and in ceramic mounted directly onto local mango wood; a tree deeply woven into Cambodian household economies and community life. These materials are not neutral; they carry the textures, colours, and histories of the places I depict.”
Silapak Trotchaek Pneik / YK Art House
Other Words for Being by artist Tor Vutha (Lion Tor).
More info
SNA Arts Management
The Root, an exhibition of paintings by Pen Robit. Media: Cambodgemag (FR)
More info
Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra
Reflections of my Father(land) by Ponleu. Media: Cambodianess
More info
Sosoro – Preah Srey Içanavarman Museum
Open daily (except Monday) from 9 am – 6 pm.
Space Four Zero
Art gallery and vinyl lounge featuring prints, paintings, vintage posters, pop art, books, CDs and rare vinyl, collectables and groovy gifts. Open daily at new premises at #25 Street 240 near Street 19 (by The Shop and Red Apron)
More info
Sra’Art
The Fluffy Ritournelle – Va Chercher Bonheur (Go Seek Happiness), an exhibition by Cambodian French artist Rosine, featuring handcrafted fibre artworks inspired by Cambodian iconography, folklore and everyday life. Media: Le Petit Journal (FR)
More info
Tribe Cambodia (Siem Reap)
Permanent showroom for works of Nak Noy.
More info
WILD Phnom Penh
A community exhibition curated by Jing Wang, To Phnom Penh With Love. “[…] captures journeys of building new lives, finding community, embracing change, and eventually moving on. Each story is unique, yet together they reveal the many ways a city can shape us—and how, in turn, we leave a small part of ourselves behind.” Until September 13.
Regular events, classes, sessions:
N o w h e r e Art Studio (relocated to Maloop) occasional workshops.
No Frame Party hosts weekend art workshops in a variety of forms at venues around Phnom Penh.
More Flamingos present art workshops on Tuesday evenings from 6.30 pm at WILD.
More info
Thursdays to Sundays at K’Atelier – art classes for all levels of experience.
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 December 2025 – March 2026.
Kumnooh was 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.
Perhaps you would consider becoming a Friend of Kumnooh, where we ask venues, artists and/or individuals to show their support by making a small monetary contribution (12 months for $75, six months for $40 or three months for $25) to keep the lights on and to increase our coverage with articles and mini-profiles. In return you receive a boost in promotion, including a non-Facebook web page on our site for direct contact with the dedicated arts audience. 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
Kumnooh 