THE GREATEST SHOW VAN! Wall Art Print

Ever since I started my Candid Cambodia series, I’ve wanted to depict in a single illustration the many performing arts of Cambodia but the inspiration was hard to come by. That moment came on the day when my band members and I had to hop onto a mini-van smelling of fermented seafood to perform at a music event in the province of Kampot. Apart from the classical Khmer dances such as Robam Apsara and Robam Mini Mekhala, this artwork also features performers of folk dances such as the Trot Dance (Dance of the Stag) and Chhayam (a drumming procession dance that often features performers in comic masks); as well as a Ting Mong, a large puppet whose body is made of paper wrapped around a woven basket. Other performing arts depicted are Roam Kngaok Pailin (Pailin peacock dance), Sbek Thom (shadow puppets), and the Kola umbrella dance.

• Material: Printed on premium art paper.
• Size: A3 Size: 29.7cm (width) x 42.0cm (height). A4 Size (21.0cm x 29.7cm).
• Shipping: The print is packaged in a plastic sleeve and shipped in a sturdy mailer.
• Origin: Made in Singapore.
• Note: This purchase is for print only – frames are not included. The actual art print does not have a watermark.

About the Artist: Joshua Chiang

This art piece is created by Joshua Chiang, a self-taught illustrator who has watched too many cartoons. His illustrations, often described as whimsical and surreal, reveal his love of comics and animation, and pop art in general.

Joshua is a Singapore-born artist now based in Phnom Penh.

Ever since he successfully sold the only copy of his first original hand-drawn comic book The Adventures of Hercules and Odysseus* to his mother for a meal at the age of nine, Joshua Chiang has been filled with an unquenchable belief that he will achieve greatness in the realm of visual storytelling.

Notwithstanding the fact that he was also diagnosed around the same period with a condition known as ‘Delusions of Grandeur’,  (on top of an already devastating disability known as the red-green deficiency). Joshua persevered in his craft, and in 2003, co-wrote and co-directed the digital feature film S11, which has been screened at various international film festivals such as the 9th Shanghai International Film Festival.

Joshua then became heavily involved in the Singaporean animation scene. He has written for many locally produced animated series such as Nanoboy, Master Raindrop, Zigby, and The Exolight as well as international productions such as Robot ARPO,  and also helped conceptualize and storyboard various other series.

In 2013, Joshua relocated to Cambodia. And a strange thing happened.

Joshua began illustrating. A lot. In fact pretty soon, illustrating, especially children’s books and comics, became his full-time job. In that way, he found out that he had come full circle back to the thing he loves most as a kid – drawing. And not just any form of drawing, but drawing to tell a story.

In 2017, Joshua started Candid Cambodia, a collection of illustrations about what’s peculiar in Cambodia. He draws his inspiration from the day-to-day happenings in the streets of Phnom Penh. Joshua is probably most well-known in Cambodia for his pile-up art illustration of a motordop ferrying a large number of passengers and much more, capturing the spirit of anything that goes on in this country.