JavaArts is the culmination of twelve years working in contemporary visual arts in Cambodia.  A non-for-profit (registration still in process), it was founded from the establishment of Java Café & Gallery which offers an exhibition space in a popular café, presenting the artwork in an accessible format.   Since 2000, the gallery has hosted over 120 exhibitions and performances, including international collaborations and forums.   The gallery has also supported and promoted many of the well-known Cambodian artists of today (Leang Seckon, Pich Sopheap, Khvay Samnang, Oeur Sokuntevy and Meas Sokhorn).  JavaArts emerged from the gallery activities, supported by the café, as a platform for contemporary visual arts development. 

Building on an existing network, JavaArts continues to build the profiles of prominent artists, produce innovative events/exhibitions, support and facilitate artist initiatives and build dialogues in the arts community.   Specifically JavaArts aims to bring art to the public and the public to art, by building a bridge through awareness, education and accessibility.  JavaArts partners with several members of the arts community (including performing arts and architecture), private sector and government with the belief that a holistic approach leads to long-term stability.

This year JavaArts will launch the Arts Lab, a platform for producing artist initiatives and supporting research.  All profits generated by the gallery are used to fund JavaArts projects.

Projects

The Hawker’s Song: The Hawker’s Song focuses on the lives of Cambodian street hawkers, their songs, their daily hardships and the effects of urban development and modernisation on their lives. It is one of the first major video art works to be made in and about Cambodia. It was created through an international collaboration between Cambodian artists Srey Bandol and Meas Sokhorn and Australian artists Keith Deverell and Sue McCauley, with sound tracks composed and performed by Corey Sands and Keith Deverell (SONE). 

The Hawker’s Song was commissioned for the Visual Arts Program of the Melbourne International Arts Festival 2010. It is in the collection of the Singapore Art Museum, and was recently exhibited at Video: An Art, A History at the Singapore Art Musuem in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou.

Our City Festival: Our City, initiated and powered by JavaArts in 2008, is a platform for creation and dialogue on urban issues that activates both public and private spaces in cities in Cambodia.  Our City is structured by an alliance of local arts and architectural practitioners and a curatorial team that develops the program and theme for the annual festival.  The themes are focused on different urban and social issues, open to various interpretations that allows for both practical/literal applications as well as critical arts practice leading to discussion, creativity and innovation. www.ourcityfestival.org

Pop-up Artspaces: An exciting initiative by artXprojects, Pop-up Artspaces, supported by JavaArts and commissioned for Our City, is a collaborative between curators Natalie Pace and Kate O’Hara and artists invited to participate.  It is based on participatory art practices and puts art in public spaces making it accessible by the Cambodian public, offering opportunities for engagement.  www.artxprojects.org

You Khin Memorial Women’s Art Prize: The first ever art prize for Cambodian women, You Khin Memorial Women’s Art Prize, in collaboration with the US Embassy (Cambodia) was launched in March 2010. The competition aims to bringing awareness of the emerging art scene and the women that are part of it.  Working with local and international media, the Cambodian government, and educational institutions, the competition will highlight both up-coming and established women in the arts community and encourage a future generation. 

Sala Artspace: From 2006 and 2007, Java Café & Gallery, with additional support from private donors, established an art center (Sala Artspace) for the purpose of creative exchange and producing art events.  During that time, over 50 artists were involved in community meetings, exhibitions and workshops.  As a result several artists have started their own independent groups and JavaArts was established to continue the promotion and support of emerging Cambodian artists.

Dana Langlois, Director

+855 12 894 180, dana@javaarts.org

Dana Langlois, founder of JavaArts, is a cultural entrepreneur based in Phnom Penh Cambodia since 1998. Opening one of the first contemporary art galleries in the capitol city (Java Café & Gallery, 2000), Dana has helped re-launch a dynamic art scene in Cambodia that has been devastated by war and political instability for several decades.

Originally from the USA, Dana has a background in Photography and Fine Art and has focused on supporting visual arts in Cambodia and nurturing the talents of emerging artists. Influenced by the development sector and models of social enterprises, Dana researches and implements new models to promote sustainability.