The 9th edition of the Photo Phnom Penh Festival began Friday, October 5, and runs for a month in the Cambodian capital. This year, nine exhibition venues spread throughout central Phnom Penh have been selected to showcase the work of 15 international artists. The first work you'll have the chance to contemplate is by La Mo. Through his Kindness series, the Khmer photographer chooses to expose a recurring problem in the kingdom—flooding. But from a perspective unlike any other.

On a street near Monivong Bridge, it's 6 a.m., and Phnom Penh awakens. The glow of the rising sun in the east illuminates the faces of passersby, free of all distress. The neighborhood looks well. Some are off to sell vegetables and fruit, others head to work delighted, while children improvise as water taxis. And all of this, on water. Boats, planks, makeshift vessels set course through this zone for six months of the year. La Mo, a privileged witness perched on his balcony, captures these moments people call floods. "It's a terrible phenomenon that can endanger and ruin lives. Yet all the photographs circulating dramatize the situation," the artist explains. "Of course it's necessary for change to happen, but I want to show that residents of the neighborhood can master this context. And with a smile. Creating beautiful photos in difficult times." For two years, the Khmer photographer refined his work, between 6 and 8 a.m., each morning when "the sun shows its face." Today and through November 5, he exhibits his 17 photographs at the French Institute of Cambodia, as part of the Photo Phnom Penh Festival.

The Balcony, an Ideal Vantage Point

The 41-year-old artist practices this art out of passion. He works elsewhere to support his family's expenses. It was while heading to the office, submerged as was customary in his neighborhood each morning, that his wife suggested taking him. Since the motorcycle was unusable, she pulled the rope attached to the tire-raft that served as his vessel to drop him off on dry land. "Like everyone here," he recalls. "It was at that moment, a rather amusing scene, that I realized you could have good times despite this depressing situation." Online, he watched, took interest, and researched photographs associated with flooding. Some pleased him, others less so, but he was certain that with each image, something was missing. So he decided to shoot from a higher vantage point to give undeniable charm to his work Kindness.

From his balcony, he observes the same situation from a new angle. This opens up new creative parameters for him. "When I decided to work on this series, I could only capture images on sunny days. The water becomes a dark background, sometimes calm, sometimes rippled, on which reflections of the neighborhood appear," he describes. "And I only saw that from my balcony." To create his work, La Mo used the sun as the centerpiece of the puzzle. His neighborhood, spacious and open, lets in honest and pleasant morning light that enhances objects, faces, and allows the landscape to reflect. It gives perspective to the place.

The result is conclusive. Each photograph in the series breathes serenity and calm. The drama that flooding can cause becomes pure, still, almost joyful.

Opening Chapter of the Photo Phnom Penh Festival

La Mo's 17 photographs can be viewed at the Photo Phnom Penh Festival, at the French Institute of Cambodia. This series marked the beginning of the event on Friday, October 5, during the traditional tuk-tuk tour. For this 9th edition, founder Christian Caujolle remains faithful to his values. "I've never imposed limitations on myself. There's no specific theme for the exhibitions we propose. When I received the photographs, I simply chose those that moved me most, those that convey a strong message, he stated at the opening press conference. "We're pleased, for the second consecutive year, to exhibit in a college (Chaktomuk) and a high school (Preah Sisowath) to inspire young Khmer to pursue photography. " Flooding, then, but also identity, acceptance of others, archaeology, ecology, the animal world, technology, and social issues are just some of the subjects you can appreciate by visiting, free of charge, the venues exhibiting through November 5.