REYUM Institute of Arts and Culture
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

In December 1998, as Cambodia was still struggling with political conflicts and social instability, an exhibition of contemporary Cambodian art entitled “Communication: Channel of Hope” opened at Situations, “a make-shift gallery” in the front room of KIDS, the first internet cafe in Phnom Penh. A large crowd gathered for the opening. For most, it was strange and unusual that such an event was taking place while the general focus was on the political situation and social unrest. The unexpected public success of the exhibition inspired the co-curators Daravuth Ly and Ingrid Muan, both lecturers at the Royal University of Fine Arts of Phnom Penh, to continue to exhibit the artwork of their colleagues from the University. Eventually the Internet Café had to move to a different location, which gave them the opportunity to take on the whole space, where they founded Reyum Institute of Arts and Culture.

When Reyum was established in late 1998, few spaces existed in Phnom Penh for mounting exhibitions. Those venues which did show work tended either to offer permanent exhibitions of art objects, or to provide repetitive commercial paintings and sculptures for the tourist market. Within this context, Reyum decided to establish a space in which a changing series of exhibitions could address a wide variety of topics, not only in the visual arts, but within broader realms of culture and society. Reyum organically and “spontaneously” developed into a local non-profit, non-governmental organization to support and promote Cambodian arts and culture.

Since its beginnings as an “art exhibition space”, Reyum has expanded its activities to include book publishing, research and documentation of popular cultural materials, public events and an art school for underprivileged children.

It can be said that today, Reyum has become a forum for research, preservation, and promotion of traditional and contemporary Cambodian arts and culture as well as a platform for education, knowledge dissemination and exchanges of ideas and creative expressions.

Period

REYUM Institute of Arts and Culture, Network Partner from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009. They receive an amount of 177.000 Euros for this period of three years.

Website
www.reyum.org

 

 

 

publication by Reyum 'Cultures of iIndependence'

Contact

For information on the Network programme please contact Joumana El Zein J.elzein@princeclausfund.nl