The Angkor Art movement was launched on June 24 with YouAdMe Co Ltd signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with leading Cambodian real estate developer MSQM ZTH and award-winning international hospitality operator Frasers Hospitality.

HE Kim Rithy, vice president of the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC) and HE Sok Puthyvuth, secretary of state at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, were guests of honour at the signing ceremony.

YouAdMe CEO and co-founder Bernard Teo, MSQM ZTH managing director Pheap Horng and Fraser Hospitality chief operating officer Mark Chan signed the MoU at a glittering event at the FT Gallery in the Factory Phnom Penh.

The Angkor Art movement is the first in a series of partnerships with local and international brands to promote and sell the work of Cambodian artists through its unique hybrid marketplace.

Teo said he believes that as digital technology makes the process of discovering emerging artists and buying works of art by Cambodian artists accessible to art lovers across the world, Angkor Art will facilitate a dynamic change in the primary fine art market.

“By exhibiting artworks on our YouAdMe mobile app that has broken new ground in Cambodia, we are giving thousands of established and undiscovered artists convenient access to the art market both online and offline. At the same time, art lovers get the opportunity to buy artworks and support local artists,” he said.

The partnership between YouAdMe, MSQM ZTH and Frasers Hospitality represents another step towards creative disruption – breaking down the creative constraints and geographical barriers of the past to enable and support a burgeoning art scene in Cambodia

MSQM ZTH managing director Horng, said: “Before Covid, the art scene was booming and our local artists thrived. Tourism needs to be promoted again to return artists’ lives to normal, and MSQM ZTH will be supporting these artists by creating a new, evolved art world that is shaped and enhanced by technology.”

Fraser Hospitality COO Chan hailed the “visionary approach” taken by YouAdMe.

“Presented by MSQM ZTH and organised by YouAdMe to support Cambodia’s aspiring artists and improve lives by creating a better environment for local art to flourish, YouAdMe’s visionary approach to bringing art to a larger audience and make it come alive for Cambodians is commendable,” he said.

And the commitment of YouAdMe, MSQM ZTH and Frasers Hospitality to the Angkor Art movement is again being shown in an upcoming collaboration.

YouAdMe is curating a collection of artworks by Cambodian artists to be exhibited at MSQM ZTH’s flagship development in Phnom Penh – Frasers’ 88-room Capri by Fraser property, which is set to open in October this year.

For each physical artwork showcased at Capri by Fraser, there will be an embedded QR code that will direct visitors to its digital exhibit on the YouAdMe mobile app, where they can learn more about the artwork, chat with the artist, and even buy the artwork.

With Angkor Art set to contribute to Cambodia’s art and culture and, in turn, its economy, the UYFC’s HE Kim Rithy and Ministry of Post’s HE Sok Puthyvuth attended the MOU signing to show public sector support for the movement.

After the ceremony had concluded, guests were shown around the FT Gallery, where an exhibition of some of the art was on display, including urban art by Tones and Fonki, with more traditional pieces by Kimsan Sou, Channy Choeurn and Ma R Daneth.