PHNOM PENH, Cambodia- The rising of a Battambang boy

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It’s been a great year for Khmer artists, capped off on Saturday eve, Dec 21 with the launch of a superb solo exhibition by renowned painter Chov Theanly, now becoming somewhat of a veteran with five exhibitions to his credit.

The new exhibition is hosted by Batia Sarem Gallery and co-owner Yves Zlotowski, checking in from his Paris headquarters, gives the rundown on why Theanly is exhibiting.

“When we opened Batia Sarem in December 2018, it was already clear that Theanly would be one of our major artists,” Yves says. “We waited for him to be ready. His paintings take time – he is an extremely dedicated and precise artist.

“There are many reasons why we want to show his work. First, his technique is fantastic, you can almost feel the presence of a material, a face, a body.

“Secondly, he aims at representing the entire spectrum of the Cambodian society, from young to old, from traditional to hip. So his work is an emotional way to connect with the Cambodian society.

“But what we feel the most is that Theanly’s work is about every one of us. His paintings illustrate the tension between individual and societies. How you can accomplish yourself as an individual despite the social and family pressure, despite all the difficulties we have whether these obstacles are material and/or psychological. His works speak to every one of us. This is why he is such an important artist. “

Yves and Batia co-owner Lyvann Loeuk, who also owns Galerie Lee in Paris, first discovered Theanly’s work in an exhibition in Lille, France in 2015.

“We were immediately struck by the strength of his oil paintings,” Yves says. “We decided to meet Theanly and visited him several times in Battambang.

“Then Galerie Lee in Paris organised a solo show of Theanly in October 2017. The reception in Paris was fantastic. We could see how his art was able to touch people from very different backgrounds. We developed a long-term professional relationship with Theanly, but most of all a deep friendship.”

Theanly’s new exhibition  will be his fifth solo show – as well as exhibiting  in Lille and Paris,  France, he has also exhibited  in Singapore and at Dana Langlois’s Java Arts in Phnom Penh  in 2013 where his debut sold-out show was called, ‘Surviving.’

Theanly says his new exhibition is significant because it features work that’s more expressive than some of his previous art.

“I am honored to show at Batia Sarem,” he says. “My previous show Surviving was an opportunity for me to express my concept and my soul as an artist. But this exhibition helps me to discover greater skills and allows me to be expressive.

“The most rewarding thing for me as an artist is having the ability to express myself and reflect my reality through my work. It connects me to people in a unique way, and it also helps me to uncomplicate my life.

“The work that is about to be shown at Batia Sarem is called ‘The Rising,’ and it has developed from my previous work, ‘Surviving’. The paintings are about the reality of life, about struggling but still being able to keep moving forward which is also part of my own experience.

“I talk to people I know from the streets or villages, and I ask them about their life and then I ask them to pose for me. Then I take their photo as a reference.”

Chov Theanly has been described as ‘at the vanguard of a new wave’ of Cambodian  artists who are driven or inspired by the new issues  of the day, of Cambodian economic disparities,  of  injustice,  of environmental concern  and concerns about urban development.

He is a self-taught artist who has lived most of his life in Battambang apart from a four year stretch in Phnom Penh, where he worked as a graphic designer.

At the end of 2011 he returned to Battambang and worked for a while as manager at a gallery called Sammaki. But his real passion was to be a full-time artist, so he quit and took the big gamble.

He was involved in a Battambang art festival, ‘Our City Festival,’ when he made huge neck tie installations called ‘Urban Ties’ and  his work was shown by friends to Dana Langlois in Phnom Penh,  Java Arts exhibition was organized and this was followed by the  invitation to  exhibit in Singapore. Chov Theanly had arrived.

In the past Theanly has worked with spray paint and acrylic, but now he prefers oil, which is much richer and which, after all, the masters used.

He says one of his earliest influences was his  uncle who painted cinema posters, and another influence was Nhek Dim, famous in his time,  and said to be to Cambodian painting what Vann Molyvann is to architecture. He was essentially a sketch artist, who spent four years in the US studying at the Walt Disney film studio and in 1967 his cartoon ‘The Wise Rabbit’ won a 1967 student competition organized by Walt Disney.

When Theanly first stated painting, landscape and nature were his focus but then, as he matured, people became his inspiration.

“I started painting at the age of 13. At that time I would only focus on things that were beautiful at first sight, such as landscapes, nature,” he says.

“Then as i grew up and started to develop my own experiences in life, I broadened my views and started to become more interested in people. I’m still learning continuously though, both from a technical point of view as well as conceptually speaking.”

Theanly begs off answering which paintings or which exhibition works are now his favourites.

“I like them all because whenever I paint I feel serene,” he says. “Each painting is the result of full dedication, they are all very intense to me.” / Peter Olszewski / Khmer Times