Born in Prey Veng in 1984, Chan Dany lives and works in Phnom Penh.
He completed his studies at Reyum Art School in 2005 and has since developed a distinctive contemporary practice rooted in a profound understanding of Kbach Rachana, the classical Khmer ornamental system known for its fluid, organic forms and intricate patterns.
Chan Dany is particularly recognized for his refined use of pencil shavings—an unconventional medium that, from a distance, resembles delicate embroidery.
Carefully cutting, splicing, and arranging colored pencil shavings onto wooden panels, he elevates these remnants of everyday tools into meticulously crafted artworks.
What is often discarded becomes, through his precise labor, a material of quiet elegance and complexity.
Through this process, Chan Dany brings traditional Khmer motifs into the present, transforming them into luminous, shimmering compositions.
His works, to be presented at Art Basel Hong Kong, speak across cultures: while international audiences may be unfamiliar with their historical origins, they can nonetheless sense the vitality and spiritual resonance of Southeast Asian artistic traditions.
In this silent yet powerful visual language, heritage and contemporaneity converge.
