For two decades, Michael Santiago — known to almost everyone in the Phnom Penh creative scene as “Mikey” — lived a life dictated by the relentless rhythm of advertising.
As a storyboard artist and art director, his hands shaped the visual identities of major brands, but his own artistic voice was often relegated to the margins of a busy professional schedule.
“Cambodia has shaped me, not only as an artist, but as a person,” shares Santiago.
“In the simplicity of daily life, I found endless beauty. The act of cooking, praying, gathering and celebrating holds quiet magic. Through watercolours, I try to paint not just what I see, but what I feel”.
Marc Emmanuel, general manager of Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra, reflects on the impact of the collection.
“Michael’s work reflects the Cambodia we experience every day. It is vibrant, intimate, spiritual and profoundly human. Through his watercolours, he captures the quiet poetry of daily life and reminds us that true luxury is found in connection, memory and belonging”.
That changed in March 2024, when Santiago decided to step away from the agency world to embrace the “quiet magic” of everyday life in Cambodia.
His latest solo exhibition, Eat, Pray, Love, is the culmination of this transition — a vibrant, watercolour tribute to a country he has called home since 2006.
“I’ve been working in advertising for a very long time. I don’t have time to work on it,” Santiago reflects on his long-deferred dream. “But 2024, I start, I stop working, then I focus on my artwork”.
While Santiago first dipped his toes into the solo exhibition circuit in 2016 with My Mother Is a Baker, his practice truly flourished following his resignation from advertising.
Since late 2024, he has produced a staggering volume of work, exploring themes of community and food through a series of shows including Let’s Eat, Tutti Fruitti, Khmerienda, and Market Market.
Eat, Pray, Love serves as the finality of this creative sprint, acting as a deeply personal love letter to the Kingdom.
Through delicate brushstrokes and luminous washes of colour, he captures the background hum of daily life: the ritual of lighting incense at dawn, the scent of cooking drifting through windows and the laughter of children in narrow alleys.
“This was actually started in 2024. It started with the series Let’s Eat,” Santiago explains. “And then it transcends in years time. Let’s eat, and then I have another market market exhibit, but the finality of it is called It Prela [Eat, Pray, Love].”
“Again, it’s about my experiences in Cambodia and the things that I love in Cambodia. You see the artworks, right? Small things that’s going on. So, yeah. That’s how it started”.
Despite the “cheerful vibe” and soft aesthetics of his watercolours, Santiago’s approach to his craft remains as disciplined as his agency days.
To prepare the 34 paintings for this exhibition, he maintained a strict routine, treating the studio with the same professional rigour he once applied to storyboarding.
The high demand for his work is already evident; by the time the exhibition opened, the majority of the pieces bore “sold” stickers, marking them as purchased by eager collectors.
“The pieces that actually I have, the big ones, the 8 ones are the most crucial because I started it last late November,” he shares.
“Of course, if you’re working on it, you have to sit on it for, like, a week, just straight from 8 o’clock to 4pm. Every day, except Sunday, when I wash my laundry”.
For Santiago, a Filipino national who has lived in Cambodia for twenty years, the work is an attempt to process his sense of belonging.
“You know, even if I don’t belong, but of course I want a part to belong, but it’s up to people at the end of the day,” he notes with characteristic humility.
“But this is what I maybe share to Cambodia, and this is what I experienced and feel as a foreigner here in Cambodia”.
The exhibition, curated by the household name artist and fashion designer Don Prostasio, invites viewers to look closer at the mundane details that define the Khmer experience.
Santiago’s goal is simple: to share the happiness he finds in his surroundings and ensure that his own sense of gratitude transcends to the viewer.
Santiago offers words of inspiration for those seeking peace amidst the city’s rapid modernisation: “Love life, enjoy the simplicity of life. Don’t complicate things. And yeah, keep working, keep going”.
The Eat, Pray, Love exhibition is currently hosted at The Gallery, Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra.
Running from March 10 until April 30, the gallery is open to visitors daily from 8am to 10pm.
Entry is free and open to the public, offering an accessible opportunity for all to experience Michael Santiago’s evocative watercolour tribute to the Kingdom.
