Oeur Sokuntevy (Tevy) is a young female painter from Cambodia who is leading the charge of the country’s emerging women’s art movement.
At the forefront of her practice is a personal search to determine where, as an independent woman and artist, she can identify herself within contemporary Cambodian society.
Her paintings openly tell the story of the conflicts women of her generation face, whether emotional, familial, social or financial, in trying to be themselves, in a place where restrictive conventions and values have long-existed and mapped out the path for women. Contrary to the Ch’bab Srey (code of conduct of Cambodian women ) which advocated modesty, compliance, and the domestic sphere as a woman’s place of work, Tevy advocates self-expression and individuality.
Her somehow surreal style combines a modern approach with folk elements found in Cambodian art.
The animals reference her culture’s deeply rooted relationship with nature, belief in reincarnation and indubitably the zodiac sign.
The artist studied painting at the Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang and moved to Phnom Penh in 2007.
She is one of the very few female contemporary artists currently showing in Cambodia.