About the Artist

FONKi is a Cambodian/French-Canadian artist who grew up in Montreal and was born in 1990 in Paris, from khmer refugee parents.

In 2005, FONKi started doing graffiti and began painting. His triple identity, accompanied by the universal language of art, makes him discover the world. His artistic approach shifted during the summer of 2012. FONKi co-produced and is the subject of the feature-length winning awards documentary entitled «The Roots Remain», which films his return to the land of his ancestors. He immerses himself in his heritage and discovers a Cambodia in full transition and leaves his mark by creating the very first khmer graffiti lettering kbach style; a blend of modernity and Cambodian ancestral art found in the frescoes of the ancient temples of the fabulous city of Angkor.

Now curator and owner of FT Gallery at Factory Phnom Penh and founder of Murals for Cambodia Festival, his team and him are carrying the mission to support new Cambodian talent as well as nurturing Phnom Penh’s international reputation as a vibrant cultural hub in SouthEast Asia. With the help of his various tools and through his different projects, FONKi is in constant search of the substantive marrow of our humanity which unites us all; of this passion and pure and raw love for life, in order to preserve his kid’s heart within him and keep the authenticity of his teenager’s spirit, from when he first picked up a spray paint.