INTERVIEW WITH CAMBODIAN ARTIST NOV CHEANICK
Nov
Cheanick
Born in a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border, 1989. Raised in Battambang. Trained at Phare Ponleu Selpak. Now based in France. His paintings follow his life: both the dark and the colourful times.
Nov Cheanick · Ink on paper
"I consider my black ink paintings on paper an emotional process: the reactive moment when the water and ink meet is a metaphor for our reaction to unpredictable circumstances in life."
I recently came across the work of Cambodian artist Nov Cheanick and was eager to interview this talent on his life and inspirations. The interview came at an interesting turning point: he had just moved from Cambodia and was settling in France. Nov was born in 1989 in refugee camp Number 2, at the border between Thailand and Cambodia. He began drawing at a very young age. His family did not have enough money to buy paper or pens, so he drew on the ground with his finger. He studied traditional painting techniques as a teenager with the NGO Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang, where he met the French artist Sera, had his first encounter with contemporary art, and understood for the first time how it could be used to express and free himself of conventions.
At twenty-two he studied for several months in France, which was a huge change. Upon returning to Cambodia he felt limited by the access to culture, books, museums and art in general, which was very tough. He is now back in France. His paintings, thick and textural in oil and mixed media, reflect societal struggles, nature, and the precarious realities of Cambodian rice farmers. His ink works on paper are an emotional process: the reactive moment when the water and ink meet is a metaphor for our reaction to unpredictable circumstances in life. He also creates real-time, on-stage paintings for the Sokha show at Phare, The Cambodian Circus, and has acted in the 2016 French-Cambodian drama film Diamond Island.
I remember the first art book I read: it was Jean Rustin's book, a French painter. I always keep this book with me. I think that his dark abstraction and figures are printed in me. My paintings are following my life, both the dark and colourful times. I also spend a lot of time doing meditation: hours and hours. You learn to see the essence of your very own nature.
I would love to work on an art residency with other artists, culminating in a big exhibition.
To find professionals truly driven by their passion and fascination for art, not just their interest in money.
During an exhibition in Phnom Penh, there were several attendees who had never been to a gallery or museum in their life. It was their first time in front of art. They were shy. They found it hard to feel anything because they said they could not "understand" my work. We discussed it. I told them they didn't have to understand the art, I asked them to experience it instead. It became quite an emotional experience when they began to describe my work and how they could feel the texture of the rain, or the fresh ground of Cambodia. It was a very intimate moment for me.
"We didn't have enough money to buy paper or pens, so I drew on the ground with my finger."
Nov Cheanick · On his earliest years"Like the farmer's precarious, nature-dependent livelihoods, Nov's process is also mercurial. His pieces reflect societal struggles, nature, and the realities of Cambodian rice farmers. The subjects of Battambang, where he lives today and where he finds his work."
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✦ Explore all our interviews →"Thank you for sharing your story with us, Nov. I am very excited for this new adventure in France and hope that living there will inspire your work."
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Interview with Nov Cheanick
Cambodian Artist
