Mirage Gallery

Siem Reap, Cambodia (2018)

Mural painted for Mirage Gallery in Siem Reap. A month long residency culminated in three new original works on canvas and this mural painted onto the wall of the gallery.

Look up and you see buildings rising above the skyline, shrouded in green netting, half constructed. A mid-point in a developmental rush which sees the town of Siem Reap grow bigger each day that we are here. Look across and you will see the same netting draped across rural fences, hoisted into canopy to provide shade.

One material used in a number of ways links Cambodia’s present with the future and displays a resourceful yet pragmatic approach. This, to me, seems very Cambodian and was the inspiration for the work created during my residency. This mural used the netting to link elements found on my travels through the area. Ancient temples and trees sit next to plastic buckets and temporary market stalls.

The deep orange a reflection, not just of the hot and ever present sun, but also the red dust, making it’s mark on the walls and colouring the town with its deep earthy hue.