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He paints smiling and starving children with equal intensity in vibrant oils. Having moved out of Cambodia in 2001, Khem knows his country's dark side.
His controversial painting, "Economy Government," (shown above) illustrated that pain.The rendering of a homeless family crouched in rags on the street as an SUV, driven by politicians, putters by, depicts the schism between the destitute people of Phnom Penh and its wealthy officials. When Cambodian officials saw it, they were not amused.
They bought the original and destroyed it. So he painted another. When it was banned in Cambodia, Khem sought political asylum in Canada in 2001, The piece was selected as the sole representation of Cambodian art in a highly regarded show in Canada.
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