Cambodia’s Preeminent Artist Comes Full Circle

After a life lived full circle—leaving his native Cambodia as a refugee at age nine, eventually moving to the United States, and ultimately gravitating to Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh—Sopheap Pich is well-versed in cross-cultural studies. When memories of Cambodia tugged at his heartstrings, the artist quickly found his way home; he now works with local, traditional Cambodian materials like rattan and bamboo (that he harvests himself) to create open-weave sculptures with an emphasis on culture, memory, and place.