Battambang is home to more artists per capita than any other Cambodian city. It’s also home to one of Cambodia’s two art schools, Phare Ponleu Selpak and until Sammaki opened there was nowhere for local artists to exhibit and meet, outside of their school. Sammaki plays an important role for the local artists as a bridge between art school and life as a professional artist. It allows the artists t
o experiment, hone their skills and receive feed back from their teachers, peers and the public in a local setting. It also gives them valuable experience in learning how galleries and the art market work. Participating artists are all encouraged to be fully involved in all aspects of preparing their works for exhibition, including media, marketing, curating etc…
It has been a host venue for various festivals and events such as The Angkor Art Explo 2011 and Interfilm short film festival, it has presented film screenings, workshops and presentations from international artists, film makers and photographers. Sammaki also provides a free space for and encourages artists to make presentations, workshops and artists talks, or use the space to rehearse or otherwise create in.
