ARTIST EM RIEM
RIEM រីម
Painter. Sculptor. Designer. Gallery founder. Born in Cambodia in 1977, shaped by France, and rooted always in the ancient dignity of the Khmer people.
There is more truth in art than in politics. More dignity and greatness, too.
With Phnom Penh enjoying a new sense of wealth, a Cambodian art scene is slowly emerging — and Riem is one of its most vital forces.
Born in a small village in Cambodia in 1977, Riem left Phnom Penh at 15. He went on to study at the École des Beaux-Arts de Saint-Étienne and the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris — two of France's most rigorous institutions.
In 2008, he returned and opened Gallery X Em Design in Phnom Penh, a space exhibiting Khmer rattan furniture with a modern twist, paintings, and sculptures. His work carries the full weight of Cambodian history — and the restless curiosity of a mind that never stops questioning.
"My own culture, the past of the Khmer people, and above all the present life of my people — so poor and so dignified."Riem — On Inspiration
After graduating from Royal University of Fine Arts, you studied in France. What made you decide to travel abroad for your education?
In Cambodian art school we practise a lot in the Angkorian style. But at the same time I turned to French culture to learn about contemporary painting, modern sculpture, contemporary sculpture. I was also working with a collective, creating art that was influenced by French culture.
Greatest inspirations or influences?
- My own culture, the past of the Khmer people, and above all the present life of my people — so poor and so dignified.
- Contemporary art. I especially admire Bacon, Balthus, Freud.
- Recently in Madrid I had the incredible opportunity to see classic works by Zurbarán and Murillo. Absolutely marvellous. I am very eclectic in who I admire.
Most interesting response or reaction to your work so far?
I often change my style of painting for every new series I work on. I love my eclecticism — for me, style is just an avatar of my state of mind, my world view in one short moment of my life.
Favourite publications?
A French magazine titled Art Press.
Anything else you'd like to share with our audience?
There is not enough importance put towards the art world. We must live with passion for art. There is more truth in art than in politics. More dignity and greatness, too.
Rice Bags
Some of Riem's most powerful and most discussed work is a portrait series of victims of the Khmer Rouge — rendered in black acrylic, first on canvas, and then on Cambodia's ubiquitous rice bags.
The choice of support is never accidental. The rice bag — the most ordinary, humble object of Cambodian daily life — becomes the ground for faces that must not be forgotten. Dense. Strong. Very realistic.
"I was born in 1970, so I was four or five years old during the Khmer Rouge. I was a refugee in Battambang and grew up there. I saw a lot of death — dead animals, dead people."
He put all his heart into this series. And yet — "the most interesting work is always the one which is coming."
Artists He
Admires
Raw psychological intensity and distorted figuration — a direct resonance with Riem's own unflinching portrayals of the human condition.
Mysterious, layered compositions. Balthus's painterly rigour and quiet tension sit deep in Riem's aesthetic consciousness.
Unflinching portraiture, heavy paint, psychological weight — Freud's commitment to depicting the human body honestly resonates profoundly.
Seen in Madrid — absolutely marvellous. The dramatic light and monastic stillness of his work stopped Riem in his tracks.
Also encountered in Madrid. Murillo's warmth, tenderness, and mastery of human feeling made a deep impression during Riem's recent travels.
Above all: the present life of his people — "so poor and so dignified." Not history. Not myth. The living, breathing culture that surrounds him every day.
"There is not enough importance put towards the art world. We must live with passion for art. There is more truth in art than in politics. More dignity and greatness, too."
— Riem · Phnom Penh
