Kimly Vat flashes a smile as she stands in front of Pi-Pet-Pi Gallery’s latest exhibition by Roberto Crucitti. “It’s my first time curating an exhibition,” the 24-year-old says. “It was very random. I came into the gallery on my way home from work and saw them preparing an exhibition.”

Kimly, who works as a programme manager for an innovation centre, asked if they needed any help. Days later, she found herself pouring over 100 small prints of Roberto’s body of photography to select the final cut to make it onto the gallery’s walls.

“I don’t have any education in curation, but I love graphic design. That’s what inspired me,” said Kimly, who hails from Kampong Thom but moved to Phnom Penh to study for high school.

Following the theme of firsts, ‘Perspectives’ is also Roberto’s first exhibition. “I wanted to share my photos with someone else other than family and friends,” the Italian expat said, surrounded by a striking body of work that spans many years.

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“When I started travelling a lot for work, I’d come across architecture that’s very different to what I was used to in Europe. Singapore, Shanghai, or even the countryside in Cambodia; it’s all very far from the daily life I was familiar with,” he said.

While each photograph carries a personal meaning to Roberto – “Every picture for me isn’t just the picture, it’s the moment I was there” – Kimly has crafted a narrative that juxtaposes the modern and natural worlds.

Striking black and white shots of iconic buildings spanning Asia sit alongside a close-up of a vibrant green snake, a mesmerising bed of coral, and an electric red jellyfish among others. Each highlights Roberto’s unique eye for detail and ability to capture the world around him through fresh eyes.

“I saw the combination of architecture and nature,” said Kimly. “It made me think of when people start to live in the city and with all of the high-rise buildings and construction, they forget about nature.

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“It’s what we’re seeing here in Cambodia. Many people migrate from the provinces to the city to buy new houses in borays to prove their social status. It doesn’t always make them happy; they forget about nature. That’s why the exhibition has architecture, to represent modern living, and then nature, so it’s asking people to connect more with nature.”

The exhibit also has an interactive element, with small pictures of each of the photos on display printed. Visitors are encouraged to write on them what each means to them. These are then placed on the walls to tell a different narrative.

“Everyone has one picture that triggers their emotion, that they have their own perspective on, so we printed some small pictures to make it interactive and so everyone can create their own story,” Roberto said.

In addition, the exhibition explores what it is to be an artist. Gallery owner, Elizabeth Heeley, said, “It’s a professional exhibition but you’re talking about someone who has never curated before and someone who has never had an exhibition before.

“What is an artist? What is art? Is Roberto an artist because he’s had an exhibition? Is Kimly a curator because she’s now curated an exhibition in an art gallery? It raises questions of awareness.”

‘Perspectives’ is currently showing at Pi-Pet-Pi Gallery on Street 240, Phnom Penh.

(marissa.carruthers@kiripost.com)