A Visual Feast in PP

With images from village life, Kanha Hui’s photography embellished with paint, thread, ink, stencil and paper cut techniques tells a story of identity. Her work touches on feminism and self-determination, critically examining the traditional roles of women and children in her society. The current exhibition was inspired by the Cambodian proverb, “Men are like gold,

Women are like white cloth.” It’s well-known and means men are able to recover from their past missteps and shine themselves off again to their original brilliance unlike women who carry the stain of their mistakes forever.

 

I guess this spoke to me because I struggle to comprehend, adapt to the current systematic changes and fit in socially when I return to my “village.” This artist not only returns to her village but questions the status quo and establishes community art projects for women to participate in and thereby build self-esteem and connection beyond the household duties the women mostly engage in.

 

I’m thankful for opportunities for visual stimulation that the capital can provide. There are many locations in the city where contemporary and inspirational art and photography can be seen.

 

In particular we regularly enjoy the selections of Stan at the Gallerist for the images we are able to view as a result of his enterprise and network of young talented Cambodian artists.

Although the above-mentioned exhibition is being staged elsewhere the current work in his gallery is also a thought provoking and passionate expression of pressing social issues and the environmental concerns of young Khmer artists. Of course, of particular interest to us were the magnificent large format hornbill pieces.

 

 

At the moment the Photo Phnom Penh Festival 2023 is taking place and establishments all over the city are exhibiting work from both local and international photographers.

 

The collection by Kim Hak at the Institute Français du Camboge depicts a ten-year period in Cambodia with images from many provinces. Some familiar and still visible rural scenes contrast starkly with those depicting the cityscapes, which greatly differ from the current visual in our urban environment.

 

Olivia Gay’s scenes of everyday life in France provide a vibrant backdrop to the quiet courtyard and contemporary open space adjoining the library of the same venue.

 

The Factory also currently has a collection of both foreign and Khmer acclaimed photographers’ images as a part of this festival in addition to the contemporary art, which is hung and the street art images, which adorn both internal and external walls throughout the complex.  

Reoccurring themes of development, environment, society, culture and tradition are featured in the diverse offerings of the photographers and artists on show at Air Gallery by Sar’art. Each has a specific style and perspective of lived-in spaces and highlights the forces of change.

There is a collection on the external wall of the French Embassy, which always has a thematic exhibit on display as well as images in hotel lobbies and various other venues around the city. It’s a feast for the eyes and an insightful reflection of the ever-evolving landscape of our times.

 

There are still more photographers to discover in this two-month long festival and we are looking forward to doing exactly that.

 

Visual stimulation and insightful creativity are more reason to love living where we do. Gratitude Attitude.

 

 

oNe PhOtO a DaY JaNuArY 2023:

JANUARY 1st HELLO: Australia. I only really feel like I’m home once I get to the beach and see the ocean. Today we made it. First glimpse of St Vincent Gulf from Largs Bay Beach and we even had a long walk and a swim. Happy New Year 2023

 

JANUARY 2nd MY WORD FOR 2023: is friends. The many new ones, those who aren’t in the collage but are in my heart and many old ones that know me better than I know myself. I’m grateful to have all of them in my life and will focus more on maintaining the friendships and expressing the gratitude as the year progresses

 

JANUARY 3rd BREAKFAST: This prompt motivated me to have the Flower Power breakfast at nearby Cafe Troppo and the field mushrooms were to die for

 

JANUARY 4th SOMETHING NEW: is an Augmented Reality Contemporary Art Exhibition called “Seeing the Invisible” which is currently on in Adelaide Botanic Garden. It uses technology to enhance your experience of the world around you. In this shot neither the birds or piano physically exist and yet you discover it, interact with it and even photograph it via a downloadable app on your phone. The themes are of nature, the environment and sustainability and there were 13 different exhibits generated by different artists from all over the world. It was a lot of fun and we intend to go back and see those we didn’t have time for today

 

JANUARY 5th NO FILTER: Walking the streets of Adelaide and admiring the new to me wall art. Indigenous designs have enormous appeal

 

JANUARY 6th OUT & ABOUT: Since arriving just over a week ago I have drunk a lot of delicious Aussie wine but today we actually got out and about with my brother and went to a winery, which also happens to be a gin distillery. Chalk Hill was a great choice for a couple of chalkies and new to us so that’s brilliant

 

JANUARY 7th AM: After drinking and eating way too much yesterday we are having a very late but healthy breakfast on the balcony in the city before catching up with more friends in the afternoon. Just managed to get this and post it while it is still am

 

JANUARY 8th PM: Pretty crazy day really! By the time we got to be on the balcony, this was the view. Who could complain about that?

 

JANUARY 9th I ENJOY: rediscovering places we know and love and especially right now as we are discovering our old stomping ground in the city of Adelaide. This was today’s new find and although it was closed we will definitely return as we both really enjoy Japanese food having lived there for eight years

 

JANUARY 10th CURRENTLY READING: an article about the Trans Bhutan Trail and an epic poem by Chris De Rosa from a current exhibition at the Botanic Gardens. Both were given to us by friends in Adelaide because they know us well enough to know that we would be interested and couldn’t possibly have seen them

 

JANUARY 11th SUN: We spotted the blinding morning sun behind the incredible Triumphant Elephant sculpture by Salvador Dali currently standing  in Rundle Mall this morning while on a shopping run

JANUARY 12th I WENT HERE: Adelaide Central Market. I have been going to this market since I was in primary school and I absolutely love it. Today I had the joy of meeting a former international student, who I taught about 14 years ago and it was a delight to catch up with her life and meet her children

JANUARY 13th COLOUR: I enhanced a roasted pumpkin salad bought in the market by adding more based on colour, last night for dinner. Eat a rainbow is a food philosophy I have adhered to for over three decades

JANUARY 14th INSIDE MY HOME: This is actually inside my home. It’s just that we don’t live there anymore. This photo was taken with the permission of the tenant when we were doing an inspection just over a week ago. We hadn’t seen it for over 7 years and it’s looking loved again. Great tenant and excellent result for us

JANUARY 15th OUTSIDE MY HOME: First thing yesterday morning we did a walk by the outside of our home in the city and a stroll down memory lane along the paths we always walked to shops, friends and the market. It’s still somewhere I want to go back to someday but for now Phnom Penh is home. Today we make the long-awaited journey to see my big little sister in Mt Gambier, I am so excited that it’s finally going to happen…. Four and a half years is way too long apart

JANUARY 16th A RECOMMENDATION: Finally, in Mt Gambier visiting my sister so today we took her recommendation and went to the Di Giorgio Family Winery with a group six of family members for a wine tasting and a delicious tasting platter. Great first day of catching up

 

JANUARY 17th KINDNESS: Yesterday at the winery we had a wonderful time with family and were welcomed and treated to incredible service. As we were leaving I was gifted this wine cooler by the wait staff after having commented on how I was so impressed with it earlier in the tasting experience ….. “Take this back to Cambodia with you!” The kindness of strangers is in a category all its own and I love it already. Can’t wait to use it on the terrace

 

JANUARY 18th NICE: We are playing tourist in South Australia right now and so we visited Umpherston Sinkhole which is an historic sunken garden this morning. It really is very nice and although it’s cool for summer, it was still very popular

JANUARY 19th THE VIEW FROM HERE: Today we walked a part of the Mount Gambier Railway Lands Trail and there were many interesting views but this metallic rusted kangaroo really struck my fancy

 

JANUARY 20th I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT: education. As a teacher for over forty years you have to be passionate about it or you would never survive but one of THE most rewarding experiences was the volunteer teaching I did with the little monks of Kep. This is an archive shot taken on this day last year before we decided to completely retire but we will never sever the connection with these delightful young boys. Just this morning we were invited to be consultants in an exciting new educational venture so the passion continues

 

JANUARY 21st WATER: The stunning Southern Ocean views of the turquoise water at the southern-most point of South Australia, Cape Northumberland. We are playing tourist today and loving it

 

JANUARY 22nd SKYLINE: This skyline over the sand dunes and grasses was the first beach vista we stopped to enjoy when we were out exploring in Port McDonnell yesterday

 

JANUARY 23rd TODAY’S WEATHER: is mostly sunny and 26°C or at least it was when I took this shot as we were heading to Bordertown. At last we are getting summer weather again and will be able to swim. We are back on the bus returning to Adelaide and it’s perfect

 

JANUARY 24th SOMETHING I LOVE: Catching up with friends who we have known for over four decades but haven’t seen for about five years. Delicious food, good conversation, great memories and a perfect outing

 

JANUARY 25th FOOD: We are going to use the recreation area and do a BBQ of veggies and tempeh with a monster roasted and raw salad for a gathering of friends tonight, so I have spent a lot of the day buying and preparing this huge amount of food

 

JANUARY 26th MY DAY: involved visiting friends and eating delicious veggo food prepared specifically to accommodate us! Feeling loved

 

JANUARY 27th SOMETHING BLUE: The water in the spa bath this afternoon when I treated myself to a pedicure

 

JANUARY 28th I AM: home in Australia and having an incredibly social and fun time meeting friends and family, drinking too much wine and eating too much cheese but caution to the wind.That's what holidays are actually for

 

JANUARY 29th LUNCH: When breakfast looks like this lunch is not an option

 

JANUARY 30th FRESH: Tree Gardenias from the garden now beautifully scenting the back deck outdoor area

 

 JANUARY 31st THIS IMPROVES MY MOOD: spending time in the Botanic Gardens after strolling around the streets and university precinct admiring the architecture and reminiscing over the past. Nothing like shinrin-yoku to improve your mood

 

 

THE PROMPTS

Laneway Life

As a tourist instinctively, you avoid laneways and alleys with the western perception that you’ll be in danger or possibly mugged in a dark alleyway.

 

Whenever I came to Phnom Penh from Kep I had the same thought. Until one time when we took a shortcut down an alley, in an attempt to avoid the traffic and chaos of walking on the road. All the actual footpath being assigned to moto parking or street-side stalls, of course means pedestrians mostly walk on the edge of the road and take their chances with the trucks, cars, motos, mobile shops and cyclists.

 

This detour aroused my curiosity and forever changed my perspective about Phnom Penh’s hidden laneways and the bustling communities that live both in them and off them.

 

In fact, I would venture to say that they are the safest places to be. Elderly people gather in the eateries, stand in open doorways or sit on the stoops of their own buildings. Young people nonchalantly straddle their motos wearing the latest fashions and hairstyles, hang about listening to music and checking out the style of others. 

Workers gather for snacks, coffees, beers and card games in the early morning, during the midday siesta and for long periods in the cool of the early evening. 

Children sometimes work hard assisting their parents in small businesses or remain close by absorbed in something on a phone screen and whenever possible run, play, hide and get up to all kinds of mischief as well. 

Small businesses abound and you can easily get a bowl of hot noodles, a haircut, a phone screen replaced, a cold beer or a pedicure in a space the size of your average toilet. One thing is for sure they are communities and they not only look out for each other but also watch out for outsiders, intruders and travellers passing through. And as we recently learned come rushing to your assistance if the need arises.

Far from being attacked or robbed in these tight spaces I am often, though not always, greeted with smiles and gestures of welcome. These people have your back whether you know it or not.

These days I not only peer down the lanes to see if there is access to the parallel street but often duck down them and respectfully observe the activities taking place enjoying the inclusion and safer walking zone as I avail of a shortcut. Laneways are the life and soul of the city and are a microcosm of all it contains.

Of course, we now live upstairs off one such laneway and we are by now very familiar with many of the locals, who also do.

 

The laneway through which we enter the stairwell to our apartment extends in two directions and a small gaggle of children live at the ground level. No doubt their parents and possibly grandparents do too but it is the children we most often see and interact with. There are a few regulars, who act as a welcome team and shout “Hello, hello, hello,” to us. The numbers are actually swelling as we usually respond and they attempt to repeat anything we say in English back to us. We all get a big kick out of it.

 

As I have said the laneways are usually a hive of bustling activity so it’s quite odd at the moment. They are currently eerily empty, as are the streets of Phnom Penh. Yesterday, for the first time ever, we actually saw some of our welcome team playing in the street. That’s how quiet it is out there. PP’s population of over two million must have been reduced by over half gauging from the lack of noise and dynamism.

 

Today is day fifteen of Pchum Ben, and anyone who can has gone home to the provinces laden with offerings for the pagodas and treats and festival food, for a family celebration.

 

Come Tuesday I expect life will return to the alleys and streets of Phnom Penh.