THE FANTASTIC CREATURES OF ANGKOR Greeting Card

The temples of Angkor are adorned with mythical beings and creatures from Cambodia’s Hindu past. Most common are the Nagas (many-headed dragons), the Singha (lions) and the Dvarapala (door guardians), but if you are patient enough, you might be able to spot a Makara (half-elephant-half-crocodile sea creature) or two, and even a stegosaurus-like creature that has kept Angkorphiles guessing as to what it is.

(Anti-clockwise from top left – Naga, Singha, Reachisey, Kinnara, Hanuman, Dvarapala, Gauruda, and the ‘Stegosaurus’ of Ta Prohm temple.)

This art piece is part of Candid Cambodia, a collection of illustrations by artist Joshua Chiang, whose vivid imagination brings a refreshing take on what’s peculiar in Cambodia.

• Material: Printed professionally on FSC paper (paper from responsible sources, certified by Forest Stewardship Council). Comes in a white envelope.
• Size: Size: 13cm (width) x 18.5cm (height)
• Origin: Made in Singapore.
• Note: Blank inside. The back of the card shows a description of the artwork and the artist.

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.