Chov Theanly was born in 1985 in Battambang Province, Cambodia. He worked in Phnom Penh as a graphic designer before moving to Battambang in 2011 to focus on his artistic work. His work focuses on many things taken from his own experience, narrating simple pursuits through stories from everyday life and simple gestures while remaining sparingly in the use of colors and lines. The artist has been living in Phnom Penh since 2018 to settle in a larger place for painting. His paintings have also been exhibited many times.

He had several solo exhibitions at Java Art Gallery in Phnom Penh (most recently in November 2016). He had also exhibited his artworks in the United States and Singapore. Theanly was one of the leading artists in two major group exhibitions: Phnom-Penh at the Musée de l’Hospice-Comtesse in Lille, France (September 2015 – January 2016) and Cambodia: Looking back at the Future at the Flinn Gallery in Greenwich, the United States in May-June 2017. In October 2017, Chov had a solo exhibition at Galerie Lee in Paris. His paintings are part of major collections such as the collection of the Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich and the Sunpride Foundation in Hong Kong.

Solo Exhibition

  • 2019 Rising, Batia Sarem Gallery, Riem Reap, Cambodia.
  • 2017  Surviving, Lee Gallery in Paris, France
  • 2016 Striving, Java Art, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  • 2015 Questioning, Utterly Art, Singapore
  • 2013 Surviving, Java Art, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Group Exhibitions

  • 2021 Penh Art, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  • 2017 Exhibit by Cambodian Artists, Flinn Gallery, Connecticut, USA
  • 2015 Renaissance, Euro-Metropolis Museum, Lille, France
  • 2014 Roots and Branches, Group Exhibition, Long Beach, California, USA
  • 2014    Made in Battambang, French Institute, Phnom Penh, Battambang, Cambodia
  • 2012  Forest Crime, Maek Make, Battambang, Cambodia.
  • 2012  Sammaki Fundraiser, Sammaki, Battambang, Cambodia
  • 2012 Cambodian Mask Project, Plantation, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  • 2012  Urban Ties, Our City Festival, Battambang City, Battambang
  • 2011  Angkor Art Expo, Art Daily, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Residency

  • 2015 Vermont Studio Center and Triangle art in New York City

Awards, honors, and press coverage

  • “Battambang, Cambodia’s Art and Soul,” The Guardian
  • “Battambang Art Scene,” Asia LIFE
  • “Rising tide: Chov Theangly,” The Phnom Penh Post

Work Experiences

  • 1999-04 Worked part-time with sign painters in Battambang.
  • 2007-11 Worked at Cade Advertising Company, Phnom Penh.
  • 2011-Present Now Work as an independent artist in Battambang.

Education

  • 2004-07 Graphic Design at Vocational Training Center of Battambang.
  • 2011 Bachelor Degree of Law at Chamroen Poly Technology University, Phnom Penh.

ARTIST