The 17th Photo Phnom Penh Festival will bring together local and international photographers to explore identity, memory, migration and belonging through a month-long programme of exhibitions and cultural activities. The festival takes place as Cambodia prepares to host the 20th Francophonie Summit this November.
Scheduled from October 22 to November 22, the festival will take place across 11 venues in the capital under the theme “At Home in the World”, highlighting the connections between personal histories, cultural heritage and people’s sense of belonging in an increasingly interconnected world.
According to the organisers, this year’s edition carries particular significance as it coincides with the Francophonie Summit, scheduled for November 15–16 in Phnom Penh, and joins an international commemoration marking the 200th anniversary of the invention of photography.
The festival is among more than 1,000 events and institutions worldwide participating in the bicentennial commemoration initiated by the French Ministry of Culture. It has also received the ministry’s official “Bicentennial of Photography” label.
The organisers said the 2026 theme seeks to examine how people maintain connections with their origins, memories, languages and communities while engaging with the wider world.
“Home is much more than a house or a place of origin,” noted a statement from the organisers.
They explained that the concept encompasses the people close to us, the languages we speak, the memories we carry, the communities to which we belong, the surrounding landscapes, and the values and beliefs that connect individuals to something larger than themselves.
The organisers said these questions resonate particularly strongly in Cambodia, whose history has been shaped by experiences of displacement, migration, exile and diaspora, which continue to find expression in the work of artists.
The festival aims to provide a platform for photographers to explore these experiences while encouraging dialogue between Cambodian artists and their international counterparts.
The organisers also raised questions about how people maintain their cultural roots while embracing an increasingly interconnected world.
“In an increasingly interconnected world, how can we remain connected to the places and experiences that shape us while opening ourselves to a wider world?” they asked in the festival’s concept statement.
They added that memories, journeys, encounters and relationships play an important role in shaping an individual’s sense of belonging.
This year’s programme will feature works by numerous Cambodian photographers, including Kim Hak, Khvay Samnang, Kong Raksmey, Lim Sokchanlina, Mak Remissa, Neak Sophal, Sovan Philong, Hul Kanha, Keo Ponita, Mao Sovannchandy, Mean Pisey, Mech Sereyrath and Sok Rina.
They will be joined by international artists including Beat Streuli, Arnold Fokam, Gosette Lubondo, Richard Pak, Rima Samman, Flora Nguyen and others.
The exhibitions will present historical and contemporary photography, offering different perspectives on cultural identity, everyday life, memory and the relationship between individuals and their surroundings.
Among the featured exhibitions is Swiss photographer Beat Streuli’s Common Spaces, Singular Presences, which will be displayed on the wall of the French Embassy in Cambodia from October 22 to November 22.
Created specifically for the embassy wall, the installation curates photographs taken in countries and territories across the Francophone world, including Cambodia, Vietnam, France, Canada, Morocco and Switzerland.
The work focuses on ordinary people in urban environments, examining the relationship between individual identity and shared public spaces.
According to the organisers, the installation offers a panoramic perspective on the diversity of communities connected through the French language while highlighting the distinct identities of individuals within them.
The festival will also expand beyond conventional exhibition spaces, with activities scheduled at the French Institute of Cambodia, Techo International Airport, the National Museum of Cambodia, Friends Futures Factory (F3), Hiroshima House Cambodia, Studio Images – House of Photography, Vann Molyvann House, Ti’Samjort, Bophana Center and Lumière.
The inclusion of Techo International Airport and other public spaces will bring photographic works into spaces frequented by local communities and international visitors.
Another significant development this year is the festival’s adoption of a collective curatorial model, bringing together five photography specialists from Cambodia, Europe and Singapore.
The team comprises Marie Le Mounier and Isabelle Le Minh of France, Moeng Meta and Sovan Philong of Cambodia and Sam I-shan of Singapore.
According to the organisers, the new structure is intended to strengthen the festival’s Cambodian and regional foundations while bringing together different artistic perspectives and encouraging dialogue grounded in local contexts.
The festival will also feature works by recent graduates of Studio Images – House of Photography, which opened in Phnom Penh in 2024 as an institution dedicated to higher education in photography.
The organisers described the institution as an important part of the festival’s development, providing opportunities for emerging photographers to gain professional experience and engage with established artists.
Beyond the exhibitions, the programme will include film screenings, panel discussions, portfolio reviews, book presentations and practical workshops designed to encourage public participation and professional exchanges.
The opening ceremony is scheduled for October 22 from 6pm to 8pm at the French Institute of Cambodia.
One of the public initiatives, Photography, Your Memory!, will allow participants to preserve personal and family photographs through free printing, digitisation and retouching services during the festival’s opening period.
According to the programme, participants can bring old or damaged photographs to be restored and digitised, helping preserve personal memories for future generations.
On October 23, a panel discussion titled Archives, Memories and Imagination in Contemporary Art will bring together artists and participants to examine the role of archives and personal histories in contemporary artistic practices.
The following day, the programme will include a guided remorque tour of several exhibition venues, allowing visitors to explore photography displays across the capital.
An awards ceremony for the At Home in the World photography competition, supported by the European Union in Cambodia, is also scheduled for October 24 at the French Institute.
The festival’s closing activities on November 21 will include a conference on its central theme at the Bophana Center, followed by a photography book presentation.
The organisers said the festival seeks to promote photography in its historical and contemporary forms while encouraging the circulation of artistic works, professional knowledge and exchanges between artists and the public.
The event’s alignment with the Francophonie Summit provides an opportunity to highlight Cambodia’s contemporary artistic community while presenting the country’s historical and cultural experiences to an international audience.
Now in its 17th edition, Photo Phnom Penh continues to bring together emerging and established photographers, cultural institutions and the public through exhibitions and educational activities, reinforcing the role of photography in connecting Cambodia with the wider world.
The organisers aim to raise questions about how people maintain their cultural roots while embracing an increasingly interconnected world. Supplied
