Flappie…

Image above from Merilee Challiss, who recently exhibited at Java. She, Chris Lawson and others have used comics for collage art along with Cambodian artist Leang Seckon.

http://www.collarmoth.com

http://www.craneorchard.com/

http://www.machinewithnoname.com

http://www.merrileechalliss.com/

Nhek Sokhaleap

A visit to publishing NGO SIPAR yields a wealth of names and in particular some new painted comics by Nhek Sokhaleap. Above is a Hanuman picture he has done for a series of cards.

Also pleased to hear that the Cambodia Book Sector Federation is picking up steam.

Off to see Hul Sophon soon.

Books and pictures

Some discussion with librarian Thonevath Pou at the weekend, who is working on efforts at the National Library.

Khmer has a number of words we use in the discussion of comic books:

cipau (book)

roop (picture)

roopheap (picture-ness)

roong (story)

komplaing (funny)

Sometimes people say ‘cipau roop’ or ‘cipau roong komplaing’.

The term I’ve been using lately (after some discussion with friends) has been

‘cipau roong roopheap’.

T.P. is compiling a dictionary of bibliographic terms and this may just become

the official term for comic book! I’ll have to see what other people say colloquially.

And as regards ‘roop’ some of Thonevath Pou’s art can be seen on sale at Reyum gallery.

Mail Moment

Sent mail off to Korea today, hope to do a long distance jam strip with the Bucheon Cartoon Festival.

An enthusiastic late night call from Ms. Pirom – she’s finished her autobiographical page! This may be the first story she’s done about herself. Autobiographical comics are a relatively new genre in Cambodia, though not unknown.

Ung Bunhean published cartoons in his book with Martin Stuart-Fox, ‘The Murderous Revolution’.

Uth Roeun

Above: 1966 comic.

A meeting with Uth Roeun today, at the Association of Cambodian Artist Friends. Hopefully we can exhibit some of his masterful art. He has two major unpublished works that he would like to print.

Most people know his art but not his name from his adapted cassics Tum Teav and Torn Chey, which are still copied today – illegally.