Artisans Angkor brings Khmer craft into the 21st century with its first Phnom Penh festival

For three days this June, Cambodia's most celebrated creative house leaves its Siem Reap stronghold to take over the capital — with a festival that fuses ancient heritage, contemporary art and live music.

There is something quietly radical about Artisans Angkor descending on Phnom Penh. For over three decades, the organisation has operated from Siem Reap, in the shadow of Angkor Wat, as a training ground, a workshop and a guardian of Khmer craftsmanship. It has trained more than 5,000 young Cambodians and built a community of over 450 master artisans working across stone and wood sculpture, silk weaving, lacquerwork, silver and painting. Now, for the first time, it is bringing all of that to the capital.

The Artisans Festival takes place from 5 to 7 June 2026 at the Tribe Hotel, Post Office Square, and marks a significant step in the evolution of what the organisation describes as Cambodia's first Maison Créative. Under the leadership of General Director Kay Lot and Deputy Director Kean Kim Leang, Artisans Angkor is clearly thinking beyond craft for craft's sake — positioning itself at the intersection of heritage, design and contemporary culture.

"Timeless roots. Fearless future." — the phrase that defines Artisans Angkor's ambitions says as much about this festival as it does about the organisation itself.

Craft meets contemporary art

At the heart of the festival are a series of exclusive collaborations with three artists whose work challenges the boundaries between tradition and modernity. FONKi, one of Cambodia's most recognisable graffiti artists, brings his urban visual language to bear on the kbach motifs of Angkor, reinterpreting centuries-old ornamental patterns through the lens of street culture. The result — a series of printed silk scarves produced exclusively for the festival — is a genuine dialogue between worlds that rarely meet.

Alongside him, ROTANAK — painter, performer and digital artist — embodies a generation of Cambodian creatives who are refusing the false choice between honouring tradition and pushing it forward. And American photographer Dylan Maddux, whose raw, cinematic style was forged in the streets of San Francisco's Lower Haight, brings an outsider's gaze that sharpens rather than dilutes the festival's identity.

Shopping, collecting, experiencing

The public days — Saturday 6 June (10h–19h) and Sunday 7 June (10h–21h) — unfold as a Heritage Shopping Fair, with discounts of up to 70% across a curated selection of pieces. The collection is structured in tiers, from Urban Heirlooms and masterwork auction pieces through to a new accessible Lifestyle line, representing Artisans Angkor's first foray into everyday contemporary design.

Throughout the weekend, live craft workshops bring the process into full view: screen-printing on FONKi-designed Khmer motifs, and live monogramming embroidered directly onto purchased pieces. It is the kind of participatory experience that transforms a shopping event into something closer to an artistic encounter.

Two nights of music

The cultural programme extends well into the evenings. On Saturday, Jazz Sauce — an acclaimed international ensemble — performs live at the Tribe Hotel. Sunday closes with a Khmer Funk party (18h–21h), headlined by a DJ set from Sok Visal, a towering figure in the Cambodian musical heritage of the 1960s and 70s. All festival-goers receive a 10% discount at Khmer Funk across the weekend.

• Dates : 5–7 June 2026

• Location : Tribe Hotel, Post Office Square

• Public days : Sat–Sun, 10h onwards

• Entry : Open to all