What's On

The art house

Mixed Media Exhibition by Graduates of

The Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh

Aug 11 – Nov 9   2006

Kindly sponsored by Bangkok Airways

The Art House gallery opened in May 2006 with an objective to nurture and promote young Khmer contemporary artists and exhibit work by local international artists. This dynamic new show spotlights paintings and sculptures by fifteen talented young Cambodian artists, all graduates from the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA). This will be the first strictly professional showing of these artists’ work and has been made possible by the generous support of Bangkok Airways.

There are a significant number of talented Khmer artists in Cambodia but their ability to become full time professional artists is hindered by a lack of exhibition venues and a lack of understanding of how to approach existing galleries with their work. The Art House actively seeks new talent and aims to be a platform for the artists to exhibit and sell their work to a wider local and international audience.

Artists exhibiting at The Art House are:

Choup Sopheak, Chhouk Rithy, Khem Sambo, Kim Samdy, Mao Makara, Ou Vanndy, Ouk Im Vichet, Pok Seila, Proueng Moulin, Ray Reasay, Sophon Samkhan, Tan Vanno, Thorn Tourneakea, Vong Daravy and Yen Entareak

While studying at RUFA these artists were selected to work with the Peace Art Project Cambodia (PAPC) which was co-founded and coordinated by British artist Sasha Constable. PAPC was a training project turning de-commissioned weapons (small arms, mainly AK-47’s) into sculptures as expressions of peace. The project was a tremendous success and appealed to the present global mentality sending a strong message of peace from a country finding its way through its post conflict reality.

There are many more examples of work by PAPC artists throughout Cambodia. While in the capital Phnom Penh visit the Bird of Peace situated in Sanderson Park near Wat Phnom. This sculpture was commissioned by the Australian Embassy and created by two artists - Sophon Samkhan and Chhay Bunna - out of approximately 140 AK-47’s.

The Art House is devoted to supporting Khmer artists in their development across many mediums. In a country with a booming tourist trade, The Art House believes that expansion of fine arts will be a viable way for Khmers to provide for their needs as well as those of their families. The gallery is committed to helping these artists sell their work in a fair, profitable way. To give the artists further opportunities working with different materials and learning new artistic techniques, The Art House is seeking to actively promote contemporary art workshops for Khmer artists and will be working in conjunction with the Cambodian Arts Network (CAN). CAN is a Cambodian Arts NGO based in Phnom Penh which will coordinate workshops, exhibitions and artists in residence placements in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang.

The Art House gallery is currently gathering funding for a series of modern stone carving workshops focused on expanding stone carving in Cambodia beyond the current Khmer lexicon. A teacher is ready to instruct and space is available, but we are still in need of donations for materials and living expenses for students

This exhibition is curated by Sasha Constable.

For sale inquiries or contributions please contact Sasha or staff at Warehouse.

www.thearthousesiemreap.com

info@thearthousesiemreap.com

+855 (0) 12 699 249