Until a decade ago, contemporary Cambodian art simply didn't exist. According to American curator Erin Gleeson, for a long time the country's art consisted mainly of silk weavings, silver or stone carvings, and glorified paintings of Angkor Wat or the countryside.
But with the opening of new galleries, notably the Reyum Institute of Art and Culture in 1998 and Java Caf? and Gallery a couple of years later, more cutting-edge and conceptual works began to emerge.
It is from this growing talent pool that Gleeson has identified 14 artists for her group show, Forever Until Now, running at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery.
'The works don't show a finite amount of time, but the artists make reference to [periods between] their ancient heritage until now,' says the curator who has lived in Phnom Penh since 2003.
The exhibition features established and up-and-coming artists, from Sorn Setpheap, 20, to the late Svay Ken, who died at 76 last December. To give viewers a diverse glimpse of Cambodian art, Gleeson has chosen works including Vann Nath's painting of hope, Rithy Panh's documentary on the infamous S-21 prison, Chan Dany's pencil-shaving mosaics and Sopheap Pich's rattan sculptures.
Planning for the exhibition started nearly a year ago when gallery owner Katie de Tilly visited Cambodia. 'I wanted to see what was going on in their art scene. They seemed to be at the beginning of something, with a voice different to other Southeast Asian countries,' she says.