The Luxe Guide

Dive head first into Siem Reap’s contemporary attractions instead. For such a small town, it has a remarkably vibrant art scene, with galleries and studios repping local and global talents both established and emerging. Co-owner of One Eleven Art Gallery, longtime expat Robina Hanley leverages her personal connections to give unique access and insights via her Siem Reap Art Tours – she’ll lead you by the hand to meet the artists, designers and artisans worth knowing. Tours are totally bespoke and tailored your interest, last 4-5 hours and include refreshments and transportation. Be sure to book ahead.

Travel Begins At 40

Beyond Angkor: Siem Reap Art Tour

Visitors to Angkor might struggle for ideas of things to do in Siem Reap away from the temples. Mark Bibby Jackson suggests going on a Siem Reap Art Tour.

It should come as little surprise that Siem Reap has attracted artists from around the world. The Cambodian city, just a few kilometres from the Angkor Archaeological Park, has become a creative hub for artists drawn by the stunning beauty of Angkor Wat and Bayon. What perhaps is more surprising is that until recently nobody had arranged a bespoke Siem Reap art tour.

Dubliner Robina Hanley settled in Siem Reap some 14 years ago. In the ensuing time she has built up an unrivalled network of connections throughout the city’s artistic community. She puts this to good effect in her half-day Siem Reap art tour, providing her clients with an unique insight into the artistic side of temple town. She also, quite literally, has the key to unlock some most interesting doors, closed to the casual visitor.

Recently voted as one of Traveller Australia’s international Heroes of Travel 2019, Hanley says, “Often, I find that people just don’t know where to look. They ask a hotel concierge and are directed to factories that mass produce mediocre touristic souvenirs, and that is exactly what the people who come on our tours are determined to avoid.”

JOHN McDERMOTT

It seems appropriate that her Siem Reap Art Tour commences with an exhibition by American photographer John McDermott at the Park Hyatt Siem Reap. Robina curated McDermott’s now closed galleries in the city for ten years from 2008, so it is fair to say that the art tour was inspired by McDermott’s eerie infrared photographs of the temples of Angkor.

The first photograph Hanley reveals is that of Angkor taken by McDermott in 1995, long before the era of digital photos. McDermott had travelled to Siem Reap from Bangkok in order to view the solar eclipse of that year. The photograph is taken moments after the eclipse.

There is a timeless nature to the photograph – timeless apart from the lack of people that indicates it was taken before the advent of mass tourism.

Robina then guides me through the evolution of McDermott’s photography with the latter photos coming from the digital era, though it is the earlier shots that have the greatest impact.

THEAM’S GALLERY

While McDermott, who hails from Little Rock Arkansas, could claim to be one of Cambodia’s adopted sons, the second artist on our Siem Reap Art Tour was most definitely born though not bred in the Kingdom.

Lim Muy Theam was born in Takeo province in the 1970s and as such lived through the most turbulent of times in the country’s history. Fortunately, his family moved to France in the 80s, and it was in Paris that he studied interior design, visual arts and sculpture, before returning to Cambodia in 1995.

Entering his gallery, which is also his home, is like walking into a living museum. The first section is divided into separate parts devoted to individual Khmer arts and crafts, providing guests with a thorough immersion in Khmer culture.

Our guide Maddy, who is Theam’s sister, was, like the artist, brought up in Paris, and she provides an insight not only into the country’s rich culture, but also into her brother’s inspiration.

Passing through the courtyard, that resembles a Khmer temple, you enter the second section of the gallery, devoted to Theam’s work. The artist works largely in lacquer, creating beautiful paintings that merge the country’s past with its present. One piece that shows a group of monks making a procession to Angkor stands out, but harrowing images of the S-21 concentration camp in Phnom Penh from the Khmer Rouge period, and incorporated into contemporary works are incredibly evocative.

Theam employs a team of artisans who create his many sculptures that are for sale in the gallery. In this way he is helping to share skills for future generations. You can also see them at work in the workshops adjoining the Theam’s house.

ERIC RAISINA

The Siem Reap Art Tour is not solely about photography and art, as design also features strongly. Like McDermott, Madagascan-born fashion designer Eric Raisina made Siem Reap his home, and as with Theam he was trained in Paris. Indeed, Theam was one of the first people Raisina befriended upon moving to Cambodia, recognising the work of the École-Boulle-trained artist, and realising that the pair had a lot in common.

When you enter Raisina’s workshop-cum-showroom, the first thing you note is the explosion of colour. These truly are works of art in themselves. “Colours are very important to me, they make me happy and make me dream of faraway places,” says Raisina. “I grew up with the vivid flamboyant colours and stunning natural beauty of my country, Madagascar, still my biggest inspiration.”

However, looking is only part of the pleasure of visiting, you have to touch as well. For Raisina has developed a process for weaving silk into the most fine material which is still hardy enough to wear. The designer leads us through his workshop where his team creates the most spectacular creations, to the top floor where the silk is spun into the finest of threads.

Raisina calls his latest material cashmere silk, and it is only when we return to the ground floor to sense the finished material with our fingers that the softness and delicacy of the material dawns upon me. This is something that would have graced the former kings and queens of Angkor. No wonder Raisina’s models have graced the catwalks of fashion shows across the globe.

ONE ELEVEN GALLERY

Our penultimate stop is in the heart of the city of Siem Reap itself. It comes as no surprise that giving Hanley’s contacts in town, she decided to establish her own art gallery.

One Eleven Gallery is an offspring of 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco, within which Hanley curates works by both Cambodian and international artists. Some of the works are really affordable, giving Cambodian-based artists both an income as well as much needed access to international markets.

We arrived while the first international solo exhibition of Senon Williams, better known as the bass player in American-Cambodian rock band Dengue Fever, was on display. There is a rawness and urban vibe to his work that is in direct contrast to that of the Belgian artist Christian Develter, whose work is also on display at One Eleven Gallery.

CHRISITAN DEVELTER

And it is to Develter’s home that we visit last.

If riding in a tuk tuk through Cambodian back country lanes is your idea of travelling then this final leg on our Siem Reap art tour is just for you. What it does not prepare you for is the oasis lying in wait as we reach our destination.

Develter and partner Peter Smits have built paradise on earth here in the paddy fields. The painter’s workshop, modelled on the Central Market in Phnom Penh and District 798 in Beijing, is an impressive space that might even inspire me to pick up a brush, but this is as nothing compared to the wooden house – well two houses, as one was for parts – they had transported here from elsewhere in the province.

Develter’s art is largely influenced by Warhol and Pop Art. However, he has moved far away from Warhol’s coolly ambivalence and into traditional life. He shows me photographs taken from his travels in Chin state in Myanmar. Here he was so impressed by the tattoos worn by local women that he has created a collection of work where the spider tattoos are transposed onto younger more modern Asian women. It is an artistic endeavour worthy of such spectacular surroundings.

Beside one of the paintings stands a manikin wearing a dress with the same tattoo motif, which Develter had designed and made into outfits for various fashion displays. I have known the Belgian artist for more than ten years, since first meeting him at an opening of his work at the Chinese House in Phnom Penh, but this is the first I knew that he was initially trained in fashion design.

This is what Hanley’s Siem Reap Art Tours provide more than anything – an insight into the life and works of Siem Reap’s select community of artists and designers that you just would not be able to access on your own.

Her knowledge is almost, but not quite, as impressive as the sun setting across the paddy fields behind Develter’s house, which marks the end of the most impressive tour, accompanied by a refreshing glass of rosé wine.

Siem Reap Art Tours

Contact Robina Hanley at Siem Reap Art Tours via info@siemreaparttours.com. Alternatively, visit the website www.siemreaparttours.com. Bookings essential.

Financial Review

‘Siem Reap's undiscovered art treasures’

A thriving contemporary art scene adds colour to Cambodia's temple town.

In this gallery, the normal rules do not apply. So says Robina Hanley of Siem Reap Art Tours, as we sit in a tuk-tuk on our way to Theam's House, Siem Reap's most unusual art destination.

"You know how usually in galleries they tell you not to touch the art? In this gallery, we want you to touch the art," she says. Lim Muy Theam's paintings are layered – first acrylic paint, then at least seven layers of lacquer – and part of their beauty lies in feeling the undulations in their surface that reveal where the paint was applied more densely.

There is a lot more to see at Theam's House than just his paintings, Hanley promises. "It's part gallery, part museum – and it's also his home," she explains.

What Hanley doesn't mention is whether Theam is looking for a flatmate. Just minutes after setting foot on his property, I'm ready to move in. Over several years, the artist has patiently bought up neighbouring plots of land, continually expanding his collection of pavilions, buildings and gardens. Some house his work and work of other artisans, others house collections that showcase different aspects of Cambodian life.

In one pavilion, we find a collection of aged Buddhas collected from around the area; in the next, exquisite examples of traditional crafts such as engraved bronze vessels and stoneware. Theam works with 40 artisans from across the country, each one from a village that specialises in a different craft.

"People are leaving the villages for the city, where they think they can earn more money," Hanley explains. "Theam realised that if they have a way of bringing in revenue, they will stay in the villages, so he does a lot of work to help revive traditional crafts."

Traditional Cambodian crafts almost disappeared under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime which, during its four-year reign, is believed to have killed 2 million people. The regime also destroyed the country's culture, slaughtering artists and musicians alongside so-called intellectuals.

The music room in Theam's House features a display of traditional instruments, many of which had completely disappeared. They have been revived thanks to French ethnomusicologist Patrick Kersalé, who has spent decades on the track of vanished instruments such as the pin, a small harp curved like a boat that he recreated working from carving on ancient temples.

The scars of the Khmer Rouge linger in other ways. After we have passed some of Theam's endearing lacquer elephants, Hanley stops before we enter the next room, where some darker paintings are displayed. "I always warn my guests about these next images," she says. Hanley explains that during the Khmer Rouge years, before his mother was able to flee with her children to France, Theam worked as a child labourer. "His art is a way of processing those experiences," Hanley says.

Theam's House is just the first stop on our Siem Reap art tour. The town, which serves as a base for tourists visiting nearby Angkor Wat, has also become the hub of Cambodia's reborn art scene. Hanley, a long-time Siem Reap resident who originally hails from Ireland, has an unparalleled network of gallerists, curators and artists to whom she introduces her guests.

"Visitors are always surprised by the depth of the local arts scene. Something about this town seems to draw creative people," Hanley says. She tailors her private tours to guests' interests, taking in anything from street art to Christian Develter's​ eye-catching portraits, inspired by the women of Myanmar's Chin tribe, which are displayed at the gallery she co-owns, One Eleven Gallery.

Perhaps the most surprising stop is a visit to the headquarters of Eric Raisina, Siem Reap's most acclaimed fashion designer. "Some of my guests say they are not interested in clothing, but when they get here, they understand," Hanley says. "He really is an artist."

It's a fair assessment. Raisina's shop is filled with garments in a dazzling range of colours and textures. His trademarks include scarves made of silk "scales" and accessories decorated with organza flowers, all of which are handmade in the airy workshops above his shop.

Raisina's unlikely story starts in his home country of Madagascar, where he first fell in love with colour. "I would cut up my shirts and put pink sleeves on a navy blue shirt," he remembers. After winning a scholarship to train as a textile designer in Paris, Raisina went on to work with the likes of Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Lacroix. He moved to Siem Reap in 2001, intrigued by the talents of the local silk weavers, and launched his own label four years later.

Cambodian silk is traditionally stiff but in Raisina's hands it becomes wonderfully soft. Along with his fondness for eye-popping colour, Raisina's pieces are distinguished by their unusual textures.

"Silk is magical but so many people think of it as something fragile, something which you can only wear on special occasions," Raisina says. "Natural fibres such as cotton, linen and silk have the capacity to be transformed depending on how you treat them. I wanted to find different textures that make silk more fun, something more wearable in everyday life."

He has patented a number of techniques including his fuzzy "silk fur", which he uses as another designer might use a lace trim. It features in one of his most surprising designs, a silk trench coat. The material is strong enough to hold the garment's structure, but wonderfully lightweight.

Raisina has a boutique in Paris as well as his Siem Reap outlet, but what he most enjoys is making items to order. Just don't expect the turnaround times you will get from a Bangkok tailor. "The trench coat takes two months to manufacture, including the time spent weaving," he says. "It's not something that you can order today and pick up tomorrow."

Raisina is full of praise for the local arts scene. "In this city, you can get inspired by the energy around you," he says. "Everyone in the creative community does their own thing, and everyone supports everyone else."

Forbes

Siem Reap is home to a burgeoning contemporary arts scene that includes both local and expat artists. “You have great galleries displaying art and plenty of opportunities to meet with the artists themselves,” says local art specialist Robina Hanley. Through her company Siem Reap Art Tours, Hanley offers behind-the-scenes private tours that take travelers to these galleries and even to the homes and ateliers of some of the hottest painters and sculptors in town. The tours are usually between three and four hours long and typically begin at her own gallery, One Eleven Gallery. Here, travelers can sit back with a glass of wine or a gin and tonic (there’s a full bar) or even a coffee while Belgian artist Christian Develter presents his latest work- most recently, he created pieces based off of the facial tribal tattoos of the Chin Tribe in Myanmar who adorn themselves with designs like spider webs or the sun.

Other stops on the tour vary depending on the medium of art that Hanley’s guests are most interested in. Some of her recommendations include Theam’s House, built and operated by Lim Muy Theam. The sprawling home is full of works by contemporary Khmer artists and also has a museum dedicated to Cambodian artifacts and history. Not to mention, it’s legitimately also Theam’s house. “It’s one of the galleries of its kind in Cambodia,” Robina said. Theam’s family escaped the reign of the Khmer Rouge and was one of the first to be admitted into France as refugees. There, Theam studied interior design but soon transitioned into making art on his own. He then returned to Cambodia in the 90s to teach the next generation of artists in traditional styles.

Batia Sarem Gallery, open only since December, is another of Hanley’s favorites. The art on display rotates: currently, for example, the gallery is hosting an exhibition of a husband and wife team, Svay Sareth and Yim Maline. Sareth is a talented sculptor, creating works that reflect his childhood under the Khmer Rouge, while Maline is proficient in many styles of painting and drawing. “They’re very unique artists, and It’s the first time they’ve ever had a show together,” says Hanley.

Most of Hanley’s tours end at Treeline Urban Resort, located just by Siem Reap River, and a hotel cum art space in one. The public spaces are like museums and display works by renowned artists, both local and international. The kicker is a drink, maybe two, at the property’s rooftop bar overlooking the city