Today as I sat in my executive think tank running a bombing mission I happened upon an advertisement for an art exhibition out at the Royal University of Phnom Penh ( RUPP ). Now…those of you that know me know I am the last person in the world to claim any interest in art exhibitions however I know what I like and one of the paintings in the paper caught my eye so I decided to go out there during my lunch break. As I entered the University grounds, I was simply stunned at the serenity and overall vibe of the place. Students sat around on huge grassy expanses , next to massive reflection ponds full of fish, under huge spreading trees, on concrete bridges, in cafes etc and everything was very relaxed. I am pretty sure Van Moly Van was responsible for a lot of the design as his signature was everywhere on rooftops etc.

Where is my fly rod when I need it ?. This pond was chockers with huge fish !

VMV style

Cafe under a spreading tree

Luckily the ad had a map on it so I found the exhibition hall without any worry at all and I was soon making like an art afficianado minus the beret. There was absolutely no-one else there and no-one in attendance so trying to find contact details was a typical tale chasing exercise however eventually some kind young lass gave me a business card for a Japanese lady in charge of the NGO Art School in Siem Reap that was showing the paintings. If I ever get off my fat arse and build a bungalow in Kep I thought it might be nice to have some local art on the walls or I could also put them into my new office at our new building which will be ready in a couple of months. Below are the ones I liked. The ones of the female figures are very Gauguin-esque and are pretty cool IMHo. I will be interested to see what prices they are asking.