Chris Coles

Paintings from the Phnom Penh Night Chris Coles

In this series of paintings from the Phnom Penh Night, I am following in the footsteps of the great German Expressionists, using distortion and extreme colors to dive below surface "Realism" into a deeper, darker more hidden part of the human experience known as the Phnom Penh Night, a setting filled with tragedy and fear but also a certain poignancy and sometimes a ferocious beauty. The Opening Night at Meta House Gallery in Phnom Penh featured a wonderful live concert performance from Phnom Penh's KROM Band, starring lead singer/composer Sophea Chamroeun, composer/steel guitarist/vocalist Christopher Minko, Side Guitar and Instrumentalist Jimi Baeck and keyboard artist Mao Sokleap. Bangkok Author Christopher G. Moore also gave a short talk on the SE Asia Noir Movement of writers, poets, musicians, artists and filmmakers who make use of SE Asia's seemingly infinite abundance of noir material as the setting, inspiration and backdrop for their creative vison and work. Appreciation and thanks to Nico Mesterharm, the Cultural Impraesario behind Meta House and all it's myriad of programs and cultural events.