Suos Sodavy (b. 1955, Kandal Province, Cambodia) is a highly regarded senior artist in Cambodia with a firm place in its art history as an active figure from the post-war years of the 1980s through today.
After surviving the Khmer Rouge era (1975-1979), Sodavy lived in an orphanage and taught dance, drawing, and puppet theatre (1979-1983), then worked as a designer at the Technical University in Cambodia (1983-1984). As a part of an initiative to rebuild arts and education in Cambodia following the death of an estimated 90% of its artists and masters during the Khmer Rouge era (1975-1979), selected students were nominated for advanced education in the Soviet Eastern bloc countries. Suos Sodavy was sent to Hungary, where he lived for over a decade. He graduated from the International Language School in 1986, the Teacher Training College of Nyfreghàza in 1989, and he earned a Masters of Fine Arts from the Department of Painting, Academy of Fine Arts, Budapest, in 1994. For the past 25 years, he has been a Professor in the Faculty of Fine Arts and has held numerous roles in the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, including Deputy Director, Department of Arts and Handicrafts.
Suos Sodavy often commits his paintbrush to his keen observations of everyday urban life in Phnom Penh. The series Market Scenes (2010) was inspired by mobile street vendors, which constitute what the artist refers to as “walking markets” across Cambodia’s urban landscapes. The acrylic and tempera paintings on canvas depict figures and their wares-for-sale amidst a nondescript, subtly illuminated background. The softness of these paintings can feel nostalgic – walking markets are a timeless tradition – yet these portraits are based on specific vendors – commonly women and children – working in Phnom Penh today. While the paintings acknowledge the strength and patience of the vendors, their titles remind us of anonymous labor and a challenging life defined by what and where they sell.
Suos Sodavy has exhibited extensively around the world, including in Hungary, Russia, Vietnam, the United States, and China. In Phnom Penh, he has held solo exhibitions at Java Café, Metahouse, and Intercontinental Hotel, among others. Recent group exhibitions include at the National Museum of Cambodia and Thailand Biennale 2018. Sodavy has been honored with numerous awards, most recently “Venerable Artist of the Year 2016” by Mahasarakham University in Thailand.
Solo Exhibition
- 2020 Dance & Gesture, The French Institute of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2019 Four Ways In, Rosewood Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2018 Légèreté, Galerie des Éditions du Pacifique, PARIS France
- 2009 Solo exhibition, Meta House, Phnom Penh
- 1993 Exhibition at the Fine Arts School (solo exhibition). Budapest, Hungary.
- 1987 Nyiregyhaza Cultural Centre, Hungary.
Group Exhibitions
- 2020 20 Eyes on the Royal Ballet 2020, RoseWood, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2019 Out of Line, Tracing Abstraction Within Contemporary Art in Cambodia, Akar Prakar Art Gallery, New Delhi, India
- 2018 Thailand Krabi Biennale 2018, Krabi, Thailand
- 2018 Group Exhibition in National Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2018 Group Exhibition in Mata house, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2018 Group Exhibition in MUSEUM TUSLENG, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2017 Group Exhibition in NATIONAL MUSEUM, Danang, Veitnam
- 2017 May Art Show, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2017 Artist Cambodia and China Exhibition, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2016 Group Exhibition, Sangke Batambang, Cambodia
- 2016 Group Exhibition in Meta House, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2016 Group Exhibition in Siem Reap, Cambodia
- 2016 Dance exhibition, Meta house, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2016 Contemporary art 2016 CLMTY artist awards, Mahasarakham University, Thailand
- 2015 Contemporary art SONG KLA PATTANY pro, Thailand
- 2015 Visual Arts for Asian, Thailand
- 2014 Contemporary Art Works Exhibition, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
- 2014 Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Laos Exchange Exhibition, Hochi Minh Fine Art University, Vietnam
- 2014 Contemporary ink painting art exhibition, Naning, China
- 2013 Cambodia group exhibition in Hanoi Museum, Vietnam
- 2013 27th Asian International Art Exhibition at Thailand
- 2012 What I Saw, InterContinental, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2012 The lightness of dance, Teo+Namfah Gallery, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2012 Mi idea, Meta House, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2011 Psa Do, Java Café, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2010 PHARMACIDE, Mata House, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2010 Impact: An Art, UN HQ, NYC, USA
- 2009 Asian Contemporary Art Exchange Myanmar
- 2009 “Still Water” Bophanna, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2009 Hospital Out-Interior design N.G.O / H.C.R
- 2008 “Art of Survival” in Phnom Penh MATA House, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
- 2008 “Chub Met” in Reyum (No 47, Street 178), Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
- 2007 In Singapore Arts II. 2006 In Elswer Cambodia in Phnom Penh. 2006 In Singapor Arts II.
- 2005 Exhibition Thai- Khmer (Chiang Mai-Phnom Penh) in Cambodia.
- 2005 Exhibition Thai- Khmer (Chiang Mai-Phnom Penh) in Thailand.
- 2005 Exhibition Cambodia Artists, Phnom Penh Cambodia
- 2002 “Visions of the Future” Reyum, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- 2002 Exhibition Thai – Khmer artists, Wat Phnom, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
- 2001 Exhibition Thai-Khmer artists, Thailand.
- 2000 Painting and Sculpture exhibition at the Ministry of Culture and Arts, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
- 2000 “The Legacy of absence: a Cambodian story” Reyum, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
- 1999 Paintings exhibition, Sun way, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
- 1998 Asian paintings exhibition, Hanoi, Vietnam.
- 1994 Paintings exhibition, Budapest, Hungary.
- 1992 Paintings exhibition, Budapest, Hungary.
- 1991 Paintings exhibition from Veresz Sandor workshop, Budapest, Hungary.
- 1988 Paintings exhibition from Horvath Janos workshop, Nyiregyhaza, Hungary.
Awards
- 1988 First Prize, Nyiregyhaza, fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary
Work Experiences
- Deputy Director of Department of Arts and handicrafts and Teacher of Faculty of Fine Arts Exhibitions
Education
- 1985-95 le Normale Supérieure de l`Education, Hungary. MBA in the Arts, Academy of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary.
- Rosewood Phnom Penh’s 20 Eyes on the Royal Ballet 2020 Exhibition , Find your news.media By Rosewood team, September 18, 2020
- SODAVY SUOS- Cambodia professional artists , YouTube By Atra Music, Jun 8, 2020
- Expo + Danse | Gestes et mouvements (in all event.in), French institute, February 28, 2020
- Suos Sodavy: “it’s all about anatomy” , Anicca Foundation By Marina P., April 23, 2018
- “MARX STILL MATTERS”THE POOR THE RICE AND THE BICENTENARY OF THE FATHER OF COMMUNISM”, Lenabraunberlin, 2018
- DON’T MISS: LEADING KHMER ARTISTS COME TOGETHER FOR UNIQUE SHOW , What’s on Phnom Penh By Lindsey Kennedy, July 25, 2017
- Trio of artists put dance on canvas, The Phnom Penh Post By Audrey Wilson, April 22, 2016
- Art in Motion, Khmer Times By Nou Sotheavy, April 20, 2016
- InterContinental showcases art of everyday life , The Phnom Penh Post By Roth Meas, June 12, 2012
- “Through Our Eyes” exhibition, Reyum institute By Miwa Ikemiya, Asian Cultural Council Fellow, October 9, 2008The Flower Box, Cambodia daily By Michelle Vachon, March 33, 2007