The capital’s contemporary art scene is on a roll — and it’s a far cry from apsaras and sunrise over Angkor Wat
As the city’s cultural venues burst into post-pandemic life, a spate of new gallery openings and a burgeoning number of innovative multi-arts spaces are inspiring, promoting, and supporting creativity in Phnom Penh like never before.

The upmarket Gallerist, Phnom Penh.
In a city that still, disappointingly, lacks any national or state art galleries, it’s left to independent galleries and private institutions to grandstand a growing array of talent. The most exclusive newcomer to the fold — a sign of the increasingly sophisticated nature of the Phnom Penh arts scene — is The Gallerist on Street 240. It’s owned by the French artist known as Stan, a relative newcomer to the art scene, who is making a mark with his large, heavily-textured abstracts. Whether you’re buying or just browsing, it’s a classy space to view pieces by some of the most collectible local and foreign artists at work in the country. Continue reading