Who is this strange Khmermaid? A princess – she has a crown. She seems to be fish from the waits down. And of yes, she prefers the naked-breast look. Not seen much since Angkor, not seen ever outside temples and bars. Intriguing.
Cambodian Space Project is Julien Poulson: “In 2009, Tasmanian musician Julien Poulson walked into a karaoke bar in Phnom Penh and heard a lone female voice singing Peggy Lee’s ‘Johnny Guitar’. This struck him as odd.” The rest is history. But not a word on that website about this painting.
Bruno Deniel Laurent might know more. I know nothing at all about him, except that he has a blog. It’s in French. If you don’t read French, rush out and buy a French/English dictionary, because he writes about the Khmer music scene inhabited by Space Project and Dengue Fever and Batshit. That’s where the picture of the Khmermaid comes from. See also Be-De-Hel on Facebook.
But I’m still intrigued by this image. Cambodia is so prudish. Always has been, ever since the apsaras went underground. But so was old Europe, and the masters found ways around it. Here’s what it reminds me of:
Philip J Coggan 