Neak Sophal’s newest series seeks to counter — or at least complicate — traditional depictions of women, as well as other sexist aspects of Cambodian culture.
Ben Valentine
Ben Valentine is an independent writer living in Cambodia. Ben has written and spoken on art and culture for SXSW, Salon, SFAQ, the Los Angeles Review of Books, YBCA, ACLU, de Young Museum, and the Museum of the Moving Image, to name a few.
Posted inArt
Following the Threads that Connect Clothing to Religious Persecution in Southeast Asia
The real subject of Displaced is the arbitrary means by which Muslims of Thailand and Myanmar are subjected to abhorrent violence.
Posted inArt
An Artist’s Comprehensive History of Southeast Asian Photography
Zhuang Wubin provides a solid framework for critically exploring the region’s varied histories and notable practitioners of an oft-unsung medium.
Posted inFilm
A Film Mixes Fact and Fiction to Illuminate the Lives of Queer Teens in Bangkok
‘#BKKY’ is a coming-of-age love story following Jojo, who embodies an amalgamation of interviews the director conducted with 100 Thai teenagers.
Posted inArt
Brutalism and Traditional Khmer Design Come Together in Phnom Penh’s Hiroshima House
Osamu Ishiyama’s structure exemplifies the surprising adaptability of humans in the face of dehumanizing events.
Posted inArt
In a Rundown Phnom Penh Neighborhood, Graffiti and Street Art Thrive
Graffiti in Cambodia has not historically been very common, but that’s changing fast.
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The Gliding, Glowing Giants of a Cambodian Puppet Festival
At the 11th annual Giant Puppet Project festival, artists and children proudly paraded gleaming puppets down central Siem Reap, a bustling tourist city in Cambodia.
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Everything Points Inward: Capitalism and Its Discontents at an Art Fair in Singapore
Art Stage Singapore’s tagline is “We Are Asia,” but the fair’s dream of representing all of Asia’s art is just that — a dream.
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Two Projects Revisit Historical Images with a Calm and Critical Eye
Two video installations currently at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago place the viewer within images and their history, and demand we look at them differently.
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The Southeast Asian Artists Who Searched for a Regional Identity After Colonialism
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — For far too long, and to this day, Southeast Asia has been aestheticized, largely by the French, as a means to advance the role of the colonizer.
Posted inArt
An Artist Takes Up Residence in Second Life
Although artist Julius Redillas is based in Manila, Philippines, both his day job and much of his art practice are located online.
Posted inArt
A Dancer Carves a Queer Space in Classic Khmer Performance
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Prumsodun Ok deeply loves classical Khmer dance.