Thoamada (2011)

Installation of double-sided 9 photographs
60 x 90 cm each

This project contributes to the opening of public understanding of LGBTIQs in Cambodia by exploring individual and collective identities among Cambodian gay and bisexual men.

In collaboration with an LGBTIQ activist, the project engages with nine men of diverse ages from Phnom Penh and several provinces. Through a workshop, they share and discuss their views on sex, gender, and sexuality. After the workshop, each participant paints an image of their choice on their face for a portrait photograph.

The resulting photographs are installed double-sided in a suspended, circular format to invoke the workshop's conversation setting. The audience can observe these portraits from the outside or enter and be part of them. When viewing from inside the installation, the audience is instead observed by the images.