S’Art Festival 2019

Worker’s Hands

2CHOEY (@2choey) – Thailand

About the Mural

2CHOEY represented two “fingies” for this mural. These two figures face each other in a sign of friendship and peace. You can see the traditional Cambodian krama tied around their waists, and in their hands, wheat and a sickle. They are local farmers or peasants. The strong colors recall the pop culture milieu, in reference to its artistic inspirations.

About the Artist

2CHOEY is a Thai artist based in Bangkok. He studied urban architecture. He began his career in advertising as an art director and then moved into art, exhibiting, and painting murals locally and internationally. His iconic “fingies” reinterpret pop culture icons with hands, fists, and fingers.  The artist won the famous competition organised by AirAsia to design the artwork that was painted on the exterior of one of their flagship A320-200 aircraft. His work has been featured in numerous publications and media, including National Geographic, Lürzer’s Archive, Designboom, and Ads of the World. 

Apsara

Chifumi Krohom (@chifumi_gram) – Cambodia

About the Mural

Chifumi has painted an Asian-style mural of hands performing the traditional apsara dance. They seem to be inviting the lotus flowers to reach for the sky.

About the Artist

Chifumi Krohom is a French artist currently living in Cambodia. His murals are inspired by Asian culture. Through his works, which are inspired by Eastern traditions, he explores Asian arts and culture. Krohom’s appropriation of non-Western bodies and symbols makes his work easily recognisable. 

Hands Together

Koeurm Kolab (@roserose596) – Cambodia 

About the Mural

Nekru Kolab has depicted clasped hands as donating books, representing knowledge and education. Links connect the books and characters to the hands. Knowledge is a gift from person to person, linking them in a common consciousness. 

About the Artist

Koeurm Kolab graduated from the Visual and Applied Arts School at Phare Ponleu Selpak with an emphasis in graphic design in 2007 and in animation design in 2010. She also received a diploma in visual arts from the École Pivaut of Applied Arts and Design in France in 2014. She currently teaches visual arts and animation at Phare Ponleu Selpak. 

Her works explore humanity as well as environmental and social change. Kolab won the gold prize at White Canvas Cambodia 2020 organized by Social Compas Cambodia. 

Recent exhibitions where her work has been shown have taken place at Penh Art, AIR Gallery, Factory Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Anonymous Heirloom, Sa Sa Art Project, international online art exhibition; Sangskar Bhatr, and Lalit Kala Akademy, New Delhi, India; White Canvas Cambodia, IRoHa, Un Petit Marceau, Alliance Française, Siem Reap; Ansan International Environmental, Danwon Art Museum, and Cambodians of the Rice Fields, Million, Paris, France. 

Street Food

Mil Chankrim (@chankrim) & Hour Seyha – Cambodia

About the Mural

The painters depicted a street food stall with diners seated at a table. This layout is typical of Cambodian towns and villages, where street food is so widespread that it’s easy to buy food anywhere. Seyha’s style can be seen in the characters‘ piercing, direct gazes as well as in the choice of colors. There are also plenty of color gradations, which Chankrim uses a lot in his work. 

About the Artists

Mil Chankrim was born in Bantey Meanchey, Cambodia in 1991. In 2013, he graduated from the Phare Ponleu Selpak Visual and Applied Arts School. He currently works at Romcheik 5 Art Space in Battambang, Cambodia.

Hour Seyha was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, as Cambodia was still affected by the Khmer Rouge takeover. He returned to Cambodia as a child to support his family, dropping out of school in sixth grade and taking on a series of odd jobs. However, he went back to school in Battambang when he was 15, with the help of an NGO. His highly emotional paintings, done in shades of red, yellow and blue, contain references to the difficult times he experienced as a child laborer.

Little Monkey

Tor Vutha (@torvutha) – Cambodia 

About the Mural

Tor Vutha painted a human with a monkey’s head, reminiscent of the costumes worn by men during traditional dances. The figure seems to contemplate the street, watching passers-by with mischievous eyes. His face may appear frightening, but his posture reflects a relaxed character. According to the artist, this painting represents the advantages and disadvantages of technology to Cambodian society. Vutha chose these colors and shapes because wanted to show how to keep both the traditional and modern aspects of culture together. It is a hybrid of traditional Khmer painting and modern pop styles.

About the Artist

TOR Vutha was born in 1975 and grew up in a refugee camp on the edge of Thailand. There, he took drawing classes as a form of art therapy.  He has staged scenographic circus shows in France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Algeria, and Reunion Island. From 2012 to 2013, he continued his art studies at the Ecole supérieure d’arts appliqués Pivaut in France. He has painted murals for churches and pagodas in Thailand. He has participated in artistic residency programs in Bordeaux, Reunion Island, Thailand and, more recently, at the Vermont Studio Center. Today, Tor Vutha is co-founder and deputy director of pedagogy at the Phare Ponleu Selpak Visual and Applied Arts School in Battambang. After trying different paths, he decided to participate fully in teaching at Phare in order to share his experiences.  His work has been exhibited at the French Embassy (2018) and the French Cultural Institute in Cambodia (2017), in Bangkok and Krabi (Thailand) (2012), in France (2010), in Colombia (2010), and at the United Nations headquarters in New York (2010). 

Bat in the Sun

Poy Chhunly (@poychhunly) – Cambodia

About the Mural

This mural depicts metal-masked bats flying away from the sun. These bats reference Phnom Sompov mountain and its famous temples and bat cave near Battambang, which the artist hopes that all viewers will get to visit some day.

About the Artist

Battambang-born artist Poy Chhunly has devoted his talents to teaching, drawing, and animation at the Visual and Applied Arts School at Phare Ponleu Selpak. He also actively participates in various creative projects in the film and video industry. Returning to his homeland after completing his studies at a French film school in 2014, he eagerly awaits the opportunity to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a filmmaker. 

Culture Transection

Buth Sonrin (@buthsonrin) – Cambodia

About the Mural

This mural mixes Khmer and Japanese culture as it looks to the future. The character is representative of Khmer traditional culture, and the red circle is reminiscent of the Japanese flag. The lotus represents life brightening the future as it blooms. The red line behind the character represents the sustainable development and progress of the arts. The colors fit the setting of being near a Japanese restaurant, and the shapes combine Khmer motifs with modern shape.

About the Artist

Buth Sonrin is a Battambang artist. He currently teaches graphic design at the Visual and Applied Arts School at Phare Ponleu Selpak. 

Battambang Heart

Konstantin Komardin (@komardin_konstantin_art) – Cambodia

About the Mural

In this marker-drawn mural, Konstantin has drawn a rounded, kaleidoscopic vision of Battambang’s iconic streets and buildings. You can see the central market building on the left. In this drawing, you can see his passion for comics with its multitude of details and unique style.

About the Artist

Born in Sverdlovsk (Ekaterinburg), Russia in 1972, Konstantin Komardin graduated from the Ural Academy of Architecture with a degree in book design. In the early 1990s he began working with various publishing houses as an illustrator and designer. In 1991, he published his comic strips in various magazines and publishing houses. He also makes animated films.