Sbek thom

Place: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Curator: K-Bach Gallery
Date: 02/2019
Material: Emulsion & ink

After five years of civil war and more than 100,000 deaths caused by US bombings, many Cambodians initially welcomed the Red Khmer in Phnom Penh. The relief quickly turned into horror: from 1975 to 1979, Pol Pot’s regime murdered over two million people and abolished all free art forms. Yet creativity survived. Shadow theater re-emerged after the regime’s fall and is still performed today to tell stories of history, love, and fairytales.

In this context, K-Bach Gallery invited me to create a mural in Phnom Penh inspired by shadow theater. The work was developed after visiting a traditional puppet performance, linking historical resilience with contemporary art. The gallery not only hosts foreign artists, but above all supports Cambodian artists.