FAHTHAI
35
BACK IN TOWN
Phare co-founder
Khuon Det and a
troupe of young
circus performers
French and Khmer that translates as “brightness of the arts”).
Bandaul and eight more of Decrop’s students formed Phare
Ponleu Selpak two decades ago. Bandaul, an artist and teacher
at the arts centre, has come a long way since his days as a
student. The puppets he crafted as a boy have given way to
sophisticated, multi-layered sculptures and installations made
of netting, sarongs and
kromas
(Cambodian scarves). His
work tends to reference Cambodia’s tumultuous history and
its current political situation. One colourful installation and
video called
Digestion
, for which he returned to the Site Two
camp, is now on show in Istanbul – Bandaul is one of just 36
regional artists to be selected for Iola Lenzi’s “The Roving Eye”
exhibition. His work was also presented in October as part of
London’s Southeast Asian Arts Festival.
Phare Ponleu Selpak is located in Battambang, a serene
city in Cambodia’s northwest, roughly halfway between
Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Running through town is the
Sankhae River, which snakes its way through glittering rice
