Cambodia’s first-ever Solarpunk Art Residency has concluded in Kampong Thom, with nine artists reimagining visions of a sustainable and hopeful future, blending indigenous traditions with modern green technologies.
Their works will be unveiled at an exhibition in Phnom Penh’s Friends Futures Factory (F3) on October 4, as part of Clean Energy Week 2025.
Held from September 25 to 30 at Sambor Village in Kampong Thom, the week-long residency gathered artists, ranging in age from their early 20s to 40s, from Cambodia and beyond.
They engaged in field trips, workshops and collaborative sessions that drew inspiration from ancestral aesthetics, indigenous practices and sacred sites, including the Sambor Prei Kuk temples and Kui community forests.
“The residency encouraged artists to speculate on positive futures rooted in sustainability, inclusivity and harmony with nature,” said the organisers.
“Stories and art plant seeds, fertilizing the world we want to see flourishing, greener and fairer for all,” they added.
The F3 will feature original works from the residency alongside digital submissions from artists across Southeast Asia.
Visitors will also have the chance to view Clean Energy Stories, a collection of short documentaries by students from the Department of Media Communications.
Solarpunk, an emerging global art and literary movement, seeks to contrast dystopian visions by presenting creative pathways toward a world powered by renewable energy and community-driven solutions.
In Cambodia, the initiative aims to localise the concept by connecting it with cultural heritage and climate-resilient practices.
Organized by EnergyLab Asia, MicroGalleries, Sambor Village and Seapunk Studios, with coordination from curator Miguel Jeronimo, the program marks a pilot initiative to foster dialogue between artists, communities and clean energy advocates.
The exhibition is free and open to the public from 12pm to 4pm at Friends Futures Factory in Phnom Penh.
