UNDER THE SAME SKY
Advertisement
Some feelings do not fit into words. When conflict flared along Cambodia's border, Channy Chhoeun, feeling overwhelmed, found he could not say what he felt. So he painted it.
For many Cambodians, what felt threatened was more than the land that is their home. It was the temples, the faith and the heritage that make a people who they are, and the feeling of being small beside a much larger neighbour.
The paintings speak in the language Channy has used all his life to express things he can't find words for: the wildlife of Cambodia, rendered in fine, patient detail. A tiger watches the moon while a fighter jet crosses it. Hornbills perch in a jungle canopy where grenades hang from the branches. A langur mother holds her baby close, with barbed wire at her feet. Doves rise from a handshake, while bullets also scatter. The animals cannot stop what is happening around them, and neither can Channy. They simply go on, with a dignity that needs no words.
Channy grew up in a poor rural family and trained at Phare Ponleu Selpak, the non-profit school in Battambang whose founders found healing through art in the refugee camps near the border. Today the school brings that same art therapy to children in the camps. Channy went on to a professional career, becoming known for his highly detailed, colorful paintings of birds and wildlife. He works in acrylic on canvas, often with gold leaf, in his home studio in Siem Reap, where he cares deeply about Cambodia's nature and works to encourage the next generation of Cambodian artists.
These paintings do not ask you to take a side. They hold fear and tenderness together, and they carry one hope: that humanity can rise above politics, and that nature and neighbors will outlast conflict.
For many Cambodians, what felt threatened was more than the land that is their home. It was the temples, the faith and the heritage that make a people who they are, and the feeling of being small beside a much larger neighbour.
The paintings speak in the language Channy has used all his life to express things he can't find words for: the wildlife of Cambodia, rendered in fine, patient detail. A tiger watches the moon while a fighter jet crosses it. Hornbills perch in a jungle canopy where grenades hang from the branches. A langur mother holds her baby close, with barbed wire at her feet. Doves rise from a handshake, while bullets also scatter. The animals cannot stop what is happening around them, and neither can Channy. They simply go on, with a dignity that needs no words.
Channy grew up in a poor rural family and trained at Phare Ponleu Selpak, the non-profit school in Battambang whose founders found healing through art in the refugee camps near the border. Today the school brings that same art therapy to children in the camps. Channy went on to a professional career, becoming known for his highly detailed, colorful paintings of birds and wildlife. He works in acrylic on canvas, often with gold leaf, in his home studio in Siem Reap, where he cares deeply about Cambodia's nature and works to encourage the next generation of Cambodian artists.
These paintings do not ask you to take a side. They hold fear and tenderness together, and they carry one hope: that humanity can rise above politics, and that nature and neighbors will outlast conflict.
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
Treeline Urban Resort, Achasva Street, Wat Bo Village, Sala Kamroek Commune, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherTreeline Urban Resort
