“One of our long-term aims is to help encourage the development of uniquely Asian approaches and perspectives to photography,” says Jessica Lim, director of the Angkor Photo Festival. “There is certainly more than enough talent in Asia for this to happen. Think of it as a postcolonial response that is very long overdue.”
Angkor Photo Festival returns for the 14th time to Siem Reap in Cambodia, a city known as “temple town” as it lies at the gateway to the magnificent ruins of Angkor Archeological Park. Several exhibitions will be dotted around the city, including one that will travel around on a tuk-tuk. The programme also includes artists talks, workshops, photo book displays and free daily portfolio reviews.
The festival opens on 08 December with five core exhibitions and a week-long professional workshop for 30 emerging Asian photographers, selected from an open call. The work they produce will be presented on the closing night of the festival. The exhibitions include a solo show by Singaporean photographer Ore Huiying on Chinese land concessions in Laos, a group show by Nepal Picture Library narrating the historical experience of the Dalit in Nepal, and the World Press Photo exhibition.
From 14-18 December, the work of more than 40 photographers can be seen at Projections, the festival’s rotating daily event. 13 contemporary Chinese photographers will be presented by guest curator Wang Xi, while other days will show work by internationally-acclaimed photographers such as Maggie Steber, Fan Ho and Shoji Ueda.
This year is the first edition led by Lim, who started her career as a journalist in Singapore before working as photo and news editor for Drik in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She replaces Jean-Yves Navel, co-founder of the festival and director since 2007, who stepped down last year but remains part of the committee.
Angkor Photo Festival is free to the public and will run from 08 – 18 December angkor-photo.com
