PhotoPhnomPenh 2011: Fourth Edition of Cambodian Photography Festival

The fourth edition of PhotoPhnomPenh, a photography festival founded and directed by Christian Caujolle, took place from November 26 to December 12, 2011, across multiple venues in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The festival focuses on an Asia-Europe axis with a strong emphasis on Cambodian photography, aiming to revive the local scene devastated by the Khmer Rouge genocide in the mid-1970s. The creation of Studio Image, in partnership with the French Institute of Cambodia, supports a new generation of local photographers. The festival uses urban spaces, including the French Embassy walls (featuring large prints by Denis Darzacq), the French Institute, the Royal University of Fine Arts, and the modernist hall of the University of Phnom Penh. Outdoor projections and screen boats on the river are also employed. Cambodian photographers, mostly born in the 1980s, focus on their country and contemporary issues, often using color photography to explore identity, society, and territory. Notable is Khvay Samnang's series of portraits of young residents or squatters of the Building, a structure slated for renovation, where subjects wear masks to avoid identification. Other artists like Alexander Gronsky (Latvia), Luo Myngyi (China), Bharat Sikka (India), and Rasel Chowdhury (Bangladesh) address environmental concerns, which along with portraits form the festival's two main themes.