Kep is preparing to add a striking new chapter to Cambodia’s cultural calendar. Art for Kep has launched Ten Boats+, an international open call inviting artists, collectives, cultural organizations, and coastal communities to transform retired wooden fishing boats into contemporary artworks. The project will form the centerpiece of the first Kep International Art Week, scheduled for 11-14 December 2026.
From fishing boats to contemporary art
The project begins with ten or more wooden fishing hulls that have reached the end of their working lives. Rather than treating them as discarded objects, Ten Boats+ sees each boat as a piece of Kep’s maritime heritage, carrying traces of the families who built and used them.
Artists can choose between two approaches. With “Keep the Boat,” the hull remains structurally intact while being painted, carved, illuminated, planted, wrapped, or otherwise transformed. With “Fully Use the Boat,” the boat is dismantled and its timber becomes part of a new artwork. The dismantling process will itself become part of the artistic record, with individual planks catalogued in a “Plank Manifest.”
The open call also gives the project a strong local dimension. Three berths are reserved for international artists and organizations, three for Cambodian artists and collectives, and two for projects developed with Kep fishing families, youth groups, and NGOs. Additional opportunities are planned for institutional partners such as museums and foundations. Selected participants will receive a boat, production support, accommodation, residency facilities, and curatorial and technical assistance.
A new cultural attraction on Cambodia’s coast
After Kep International Art Week, selected boats will remain along the Kep shoreline as a permanent outdoor collection, while some works may travel to museums and international biennales. The project also aims to create tangible benefits for the local community, with part of any future sales returning to fishing families and marine conservation initiatives.
For visitors, the initiative offers another reason to explore Kep beyond its beaches, seafood, colonial-era atmosphere, and coastal landscapes. Art for Kep describes the wider initiative as combining art, music, and marine conservation, with the ambition of establishing Kep as an important cultural and creative destination in Cambodia. Artists and organizations interested in participating can apply during the current open call. Two free public information sessions will also take place in Phnom Penh on 25 August 2026 and Siem Reap on 27 August 2026, both at 6:00 PM.
