About Artists

Tan Vatey (b. 1992, Phnom Penh) works interdisciplinarily as an artist and designer who keeps finding inspiration by exploring a variety of practices and approaches in different fields, be it in the arts or in daily life around her. Through playful experimentation during residencies and cultural exchanges, her art practices are exploring how to shift harmful relations with the environment in a geopoetical sense. Together with arts-instigator Sinta Wibowo, Vatey ventures into live experimentations throughout the animated exhibitions of [re-enacting memories], creating spaces of togetherness & trust, as well as the walkshops of [watch &wa/onder], exercises in unhabiting our habits. Vatey has exhibited her works widely in Cambodia and other countries. More about her work at vateytan.wixsite.com/artist

Neak Sophal (b. 1989, Takeo), a graduate in Graphic Design in 2012 from the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, has a growing reputation for her distinct aesthetic and ongoing thematic exploration of Cambodian society. Through composed portraiture staged collaboratively with her subjects, Sophal’s artwork often challenges social structures, illuminating the hidden memories and fear that animate people’s lives and identities. Active locally and internationally, Sophal has participated in workshops and group and solo exhibitions in France, Sweden, the United States, Japan, and Australia, as well as at Angkor Photo Festival (Cambodia), Spot Art (Singapore), Hong Kong International Photo Festival, Bangkok Photo Festival, Asian Eye Culture (Thailand), Voice of Tacitness Exhibition (China), Our City Festival (Cambodia), SurVivArt (Germany), and Photo Phnom Penh Festival (Cambodia). More about her work at neaksophal.com

Sao Sreymao (b. 1986, Site 2 refugee camp, Thai border) graduated from Phare PonleuSelpak’s School of Visual and Applied Arts, Battambang province in 2006 and was a part of Sa Sa Art Projects’ Contemporary Art Class in 2016. Her multidisciplinary practice includes painting, photography, digital drawing, sculpture and performance. Her works explore personal expression and memories, as well as the change of physical and psychological landscapes of Cambodian urban and rural communities. She has also collaborated with various writers in visual storytelling and published a number of graphic novels.

Sreymao was an artist fellow at Sylt Foundation with a residency in Sylt Germany in 2017. She is also a recipient of Dam Dos Grant 2018 from Cambodian Living Arts. Her latest solo exhibition was Under the Water, Sa Sa Art Projects (2018). Her most recent group exhibitions and performances include Day Dream, Khmer Sense (2018); Body of Sorrow, Sa Sa Art Projects (2018); Facing the Climate Change, Ministry of Environment of Cambodia (2018) and Embassy of Sweden (2017); and KraanhNorneal, Sa Sa Art Projects (2017). More about her work at saosreymao.com

Say Tola is a passionate writer and researcher of arts. She worked for Khmer Times from 2017 to 2019 during which she wrote about the arts scene in Cambodia. She has also worked as the core organising team for the ‘Khmer Literature Festival’. Her keen interest in arts and culture research saw her playing a significant role in ‘Her Sounds’ project as a coordinator in 2019. That year, she also became a resident researcher with Heritage Hub Residency at the REPfest New Traditional Music Festival. In 2020, Tola worked as a research assistant on an international project called “Cambodian Mouth Harp” as part of the Endangered Material Knowledge Programme. All these projects gave her the opportunity to travel throughout Cambodia to witness diverse arts and cultural practices in various communities. Tola has a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Paññāsāstra University, Cambodia. Currently, Tola works as a research coordinator with an arts organisation. 

TiSamjort (“Resting Place”) is a Phnom Penh-based collaborative work space, gallery, and short-term residence for artists and cultural practitioners. Founded in 2020 by three visual artists and one culture lover (Tan Vatey, Neak Sophal, Sao Sreymao, and Say Tola), we envision TiSamjort as a resting place and a meeting space in Cambodia’s capital where people can learn, make art, and feel at home through collective engagement with the arts.

TiSamjort was born out of love for the arts and care for cultural practitioners. We began to recognize a need for a resting place for artists in Phnom Penh after initiating our first project, Nomadix Arts Tour, which brought arts programming to provincial communities throughout Cambodia. When meeting with artists and cultural practitioners in different parts of the country, we commonly heard that some of these cultural enthusiasts have encountered practical and financial barriers to come to join the art seminars, workshops and cultural events which have always been held in the capital. Though we had long hoped to launch a collaborative workspace for artists in Phnom Penh, these conversations led us to dream bigger, and to imagine how we might alleviate some of the financial burden for artists seeking to travel from provincial Cambodia into the capital.

By creating TiSamjort, we want to encourage provincial artists to not give up, and to know that they have a home in Phnom Penh, as well as a place where friendship, creativity, art-related discussion and inspiration can be found. More than that, it is a place for Phnom Penh folks to gather, create new works and share them with people in their communities.

TiSamjort can be operating thanks to generous sponsors and support from Pok Marina, Sor Ratana, Sinta Wibowo and many friends.