Top 1 Street Art near National Road 6, Siem Reap

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1 Open Studio Cambodia

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They have an inspirational mission - support for up-and-coming contemporary Cambodian artists. We took the Atlas Obscura "Cambodia: Contemporary Art, Spiritual Traditions, and Hidden Wonders" tour with Siem Reap extension January 10-24, 2020. Lauren Iida from Open Studio Cambodia was our tour manager. This was a life-changing experience. It was a headlong, no holds barred plunge into Cambodian history, culture and art. Lauren provided us with personal access to many Cambodian artists, both established and rising. The accounts of their lives and artistic journeys gave us insights into the effects of the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1978) on families and artistic life in this country. We learned about the challenges of reconnecting young artists with the [vanishing, endangered] artistic traditions of prior generations that the Khmer Rouge tried to eliminate (by killing artists!). Contempory Cambodian artists are challenged further by a lack of encouragement for un-approved, non-traditional art from the current government, universities and other institutions. One artist we met had to work as a boxer and a tuk-tuk driver before he could support himself as an artist. Another was sold into slavery by his family, finally escaping to find his own path to artistic success, but also channeling his painful experiences into unforgettable art. We met a French-born son of Cambodian refugees, renowned for street art in Toronto, who came to Cambodia to discover his roots and ended up creating remarkable public works throughout Phnom Penh and on the walls of a former military base in Kampot. A construction worker who lost both arms in an electrical accident, rejected by his own community, discovered a talent for printmaking. We met sculptors, painters, a musical instrument maker and a graphic novel artist. And we met the parents of some of the artists in their homes. A father (and now proud grandfather) described how he survived, as a soldier, the Cambodian civil war, the Khmer Rouge, and conflict on the Vietnam border, over a twenty year period. He survived wounds from gunshots and a landmine. We visited Open Studio Cambodia in Siem Reap, where Lauren has assembled a community of contemporary artists supporting each other in their artistic efforts. Lauren, a US native, is a long-time resident of Cambodia, and speaks fluent Khmer. Between her and her intrepid, omni-present, multi-lingual assistants and guides, a brigade of tuk-tuk and van drivers, and her administrative assistants in Kampot and Siem Reap, any question could be answered, and any problem solved. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5.0 of 5 (7 reviews)

Address: Off National Road 6
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The Best Street Art near National Road 6

1 Open Studio Cambodia

The Best Street Art
near National Road 6