The Gallerista

The Gallerista, as the name suggests, is a gallery that aims to please and does so with an extraordinary collection that is both modern and traditional at the same. Residing at 15-17 Street 240, this is a place mainly for young up and coming Cambodian artists to show their talent in a modern and elegant setting. They have also shown some foreign artists as well and will continue to do so.

The burgeoning art scene has a variety of small galleries and The Gallerista is the highlight amongst them. The motto they have is ‘’Art Matters’’ and it certainly shows through the minimalistic surroundings of the gallery that focus the viewer’s attention without any distracting music.

Prices range from 3 to 5 figures is US dollars but you can have a viewing of the collection at your own leisure. At the moment there are two Cambodian artists who are having creations shown.

Julie, who is part of the gallery staff, told me that “The Gallerist selects contemporary artists, creating a strong relationship and feeding dialogues and exchanges. Working with living artists is a unique opportunity to engage conversation and witness the evolution in their artworks. In the tapestry of Cambodian society, art emerges not merely as a form of beauty but as a dialogue for memory, and healing, fostering a deeper connection to cultural identity and shared experiences.’’

The two current artists who are having their own exhibitions are Thun Dina and Nout Daro. Thun Dina creates portraits of people living in rural Cambodia and the highlight of his exhibition is the five piece painting is combined together to create an enormous portrait of a village scene.

Nout Daro, on the other hand, has an expressive format that both fascinates and captivates, combining a dream-like atmosphere with realism. His own words sum up his creative framework this way: ‘’Nature is filled with all kinds of strange mind-blowing things that can just captivate the spectators watching them. I feel like leaves deliver a secret and important message that I have to transmit. Transcending by the paint and the colours, telling a story through the illusions of nature”.

The highlight for me was the artwork created out of pencil shavings. It’s called Somrus Phka Chan by Chan Dany and at first I didn’t notice the fine detail that went into creating the work of art. Only when do you step do you see the floral arrangement and with that comes the realization that this piece must’ve taken a considerable amount of time and effort to arrange.

Due to the lack of having one big centralized modern art gallery such as The Tate Modern in London, Phnom Penh is lucky enough to have a host of smaller galleries doing their own thing which means more variety due to having less gatekeepers. The Gallerista is an outcome of this situation and it leads to a more original and creative artistic culture.

They also host cultural events and they also have their own consulting service for individuals. They also consult with hotels and restaurants in order for them to improve their own artistic displays in order to improve their ambience. The Gallerista can be contacted via their website at https://www.thegallerist.asia/ Opening hours are from 10 am to 6 pm Tuesday to Sunday.

	Cambodia
	contact@thegallerist.asia
	+855 (0)17 700 328

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