About the artists

Leng Kimsreang (b. 1997, Phnom Penh) graduated in Interior Design from the Royal University of Fine Arts. She also took Contemporary Art class at Sa Sa Art Projects. She usually works with collage and sculpture and often comments on the realities of society, culture, and the urban psyche. Group exhibitions include Message in Mind, Photo Phnom Penh Festival 2019, Tortim Art Gallery, Phnom Penh; Breath (2020) Sa Sa Art Projects, Phnom Penh; Festival d’Art Sacre de Compiegne (2021), Compiègne, France; and Sa Sa Fundraising Auction & Exhibition (2020) & (2022).

Kong Dara (b. 1990, Prey Veng province) studied art at Sa Sa Art Projects where he also works as a Residency Coordinator. Dara works across media including drawing, sculpture, and installation, often using pen and colored pencil on paper and clay. His artwork investigates his personal experience, memory, and emotions, and often reflects on social change and LGBT+ communities. His work has appeared in many group exhibitions at Cambodian and international venues including Ku Bar, Bangkok; Nhà Sàn Collective, Hanoi; SA SA BASSAC, Phnom Penh; Sangker Art Space & Gallery, Battambang; Carol Shen Gallery, New York; and Sa Sa Art Projects, Phnom Penh. He has undertaken several residencies in Cambodia and internationally, including at Open Contemporary Art Center, Taipei; San Art Laboratory, Ho Chi Minh City; Tentacles Art Space, Bangkok; Sangker Art Space & Gallery, Battambang; and Sa Sa Art Projects, Phnom Penh. Dara was a recipient of the Alternative Art School Fellowship (2021).

Soung Pheakdey (b. 1996, Takeo province) is a Buddhist monk and a graduate from Phnom Penh’s Royal University of Fine Arts, majoring in painting. He is currently undertaking a master’s study in Fine Arts at the Royal Academy of Cambodia. He also took Photography and Contemporary Art classes at Sa Sa Art Projects. His practice centers on issues of ecology and learning from the Dhamar, often making sculptures and paintings. Group exhibitions include Possibility, Transferring, Passing (2019), Sa Sa Art Projects, Phnom Penh; Young Artist Talent #11 (2019), the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Bangkok; Patch (2021), Sa Sa Art Projects, Phnom Penh; and Sa Sa Fundraising Auction & Exhibition (2020) & (2022).

About the Moderator

Born to Khmer refugees in the United States, Prumsodun Ok rose from the poverty and violence-stricken inner city of Long Beach, CA, to become the new face of Khmer dance. He uses art to heal, illuminate, and empower, reviving the spirit of his people from the enduring forces of conflict. Seen by many as a champion of Khmer culture, he works as an artist, teacher, writer, speaker, and producer to shape a world where everyone can blossom into their fullest selves. ​Ok’s interdisciplinary performances contemplate “the avant-garde in antiquity” and have been performed at Currents Festival, Phnom Penh; REDCAT’s NOW Festival, Los Angeles; Za-Koenji Public Theatre, Tokyo; Camping Asia, Taipei; and CTM Festival, Berlin, among others. They have been celebrated as “a vision of elegance and grace” (The Phnom Penh Post) and “Radical Beauty” (Bangkok Post). ​Ok is the recipient of grants and fellowships from TED, MAP Fund, Surdna Foundation, Dance/USA, National Dance Project, and Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions, and he has been a guest speaker, choreographer, and instructor at the California Institute of the Arts; the University of California, Los Angeles; Santa Monica College; Rajabhat University, Bangkok; Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto; and the Royal University of Fine Arts, Phnom Penh. He is the founding Artistic Director of Prumsodun Ok & NATYARASA, Cambodia’s first gay dance company, which Channel NewsAsia describes as “one of the most revolutionary dance troupes in Cambodia . . . a dance troupe like no other.”​ Ok’s TED Talk and keynote speech at the Dance/USA 2019 Annual Conference received standing ovations, and the former has been translated into more than 20 languages and viewed millions of times across various platforms. He lives in Phnom Penh, where he pioneers work at the intersection and forefront of cultural preservation, artistic innovation, education, LGBTQ advocacy, and environmental stewardship. Ok sits on the executive committee of ខ្ញុំទទួលយក – I ACCEPT, Cambodia’s historic marriage-equality campaign.