Mao Sovanchandy

MAO SOVANCHANDY (b. 1998) is an independent multidisciplinary artist whose mixed-media practice explores environmental and social issues, as well as societal norms, through self-reflection and personal experience. A self-taught artist with a B.A. in Architecture, her work is deeply informed by the rapid transformation of Phnom Penh—a city where historical, cultural, and ecological values are in constant flux. Her practice spans installation, performance, moving image, and social engagement, often centering on the tension between what is visible and what is forgotten.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 2020, Sovanchandy completed the Contemporary Documentary & Photography Program (2020) and the English for Artists Program (2021) at Sa Sa Art Projects. She was awarded the Dogma Prize for her exhibition at Galerie Quynh in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Her selected group exhibitions include the Jakarta International Photo Festival (JIPFest) (2022); Adaptation?, a graduate exhibition of the Contemporary Art Class at Sa Sa Art Projects, Phnom Penh (2021); The Simultaneous, PenhArt Exhibition at Factory Phnom Penh (2021); and Reflectance at Treeline Gallery, Siem Reap (2022).

In 2021, she participated in the Pisaot Experimental Arts Residency at Sa Sa Art Projects, Phnom Penh. In 2023, she completed residencies at the National Art School, 16albermarle Project Space in Sydney, Australia, and Kultx Collaborative Space in Khon Kaen, Thailand. In 2024, she joined the Beppu Project residency in Beppu, Japan, where she expanded her mixed-media practice to include improvisational performance, videography, photography, and poetry.

In 2025, she participated in residencies with the GMS program in Chiang Khan, Thailand, and at Rimbun Dahan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her most recent group exhibition, Collective Motion, was organized by MFAFP and brought together artists from across Southeast Asia.

artist CV