Cambodian artist alleges that Singaporean-owned gallery still owes her S$3,800
A Cambodian artist said a Singaporean-owned art gallery in Cambodia sold her artwork to an overseas buyer but failed to fully pay her.
Visual artist Sopheak Lach, 35, told MS News that Angkor Art Gallery still owes her about US$3,000 (S$3,800).
She said she repeatedly followed up with the gallery through messages, calls and emails after the payment became overdue.
Source: Sopheak Sam on Facebook
The gallery has since closed, while Cambodian news outlet Cambodianess reported that several other artists also said they had received partial or no payments.
A check by MS News shows that the gallery’s website and its contact details have been removed.
Lach publicly shared screenshots of her communications with the gallery on Facebook on 26 Aug.
“I simply want the gallery to take responsibility and settle the outstanding payment owed to me,” she told MS News.
Gallery was opened by two Singaporeans in Cambodia
Angkor Art Gallery was opened in Sihanoukville in Oct 2024 by Singaporeans Bernard Teo Cheng Han and Chai Zhi Ying, according to Cambodianess.
The gallery later moved to a shopping mall in Phnom Penh.
It eventually closed, along with a jewellery store operated by its owners, Cambodianess reported.
Source: Google Maps
Lach’s dispute comes as other artists have also raised concerns over unpaid artwork and works that have yet to be returned.
Cambodianess reported that Lach found around 10 to 12 other artists who were owed money or wanted their unsold artworks returned.
Source: Cambodianess
Artist says gallery sold artwork but payment remained incomplete
Lach said she had delivered her artwork to Angkor Art Gallery after reaching an agreement with the gallery.
She was later told the artwork had been sold and sent to a buyer overseas.
“I asked the gallery who the buyer was and where they were from, but they never provided me with that information,” she said.
Source: Sopheak Sam on Facebook
Lach said she understood that the gallery had received payment from the buyer based on information communicated during her follow-ups.
However, she said she did not receive the full amount owed to her.
The screenshots she shared show that payment discussions continued for months.
A US$1,000 payment (S$1,267) was made to her on 12 March, followed by another US$1,000 (S$1,267) payment on 27 April.
However, the outstanding balance was never returned to her.
Source: Sopheak Sam on Facebook
Gallery cited relocation and cash flow issues
On 30 April, the gallery allegedly cited relocation expenses and cash flow issues while proposing a new repayment plan.
Lach said she rejected open-ended repayment terms and asked for the outstanding amount to be settled.
In early May, she said the gallery continued asking her for patience while it arranged a repayment schedule.
By 20 May, Lach asked for her artwork to be returned if payment could not be completed.
Source: Sopheak Sam on Facebook
She said the gallery told her the artwork had already been sold and sent to the overseas buyer, so it could not be returned.
“That left me in a difficult position because the artwork was no longer available to me, while the full payment had still not been received,” she said.
A revised payment arrangement later set the end of June as the deadline for full payment.
According to Lach, that deadline passed without the outstanding amount being fully settled.
Source: Cambodianess
‘I have been trying to resolve this properly for a long time’
Lach continued following up with the gallery in July, including providing payment deadlines of 1 and 10 July.
She also made multiple calls and sent further messages towards the end of the month.
Lach claimed that Angkor Art Gallery owner Bernard continued to post on social media while not responding to her.
On 17 Aug, she sent what she described as a final warning over the gallery’s lack of communication.
She eventually decided to make the matter public.
In her 26 Aug Facebook post, Lach said she had been “patient” and “respectful” throughout her repeated follow-ups but felt the situation was “not right” and “not fair”.
“I’m sharing the evidence so people can see that I have been trying to resolve this properly for a long time,” she wrote.
Source: Sopheak Sam on Facebook
Speaking to MS News, she said she had tried to settle the matter privately before deciding to share the screenshots.
“I felt that I needed to speak publicly and share the evidence so that people could understand what had happened from my side,” she said.
Artist says experience was harder after becoming a new mother
Lach said the situation was especially difficult because she had recently become a mother.
She said she was going through a physically and emotionally demanding period while still having to spend time following up about payment for work she had already completed.
Source: Sopheak Sam on Facebook
“As an artist, my work represents a significant amount of time, skill, effort and personal investment,” she said.
“I believe artists deserve to be treated fairly and responsibly.”
She also said she wanted to speak up for other artists who might have experienced similar issues but were afraid to assert their rights.
Other artists also report payment issues
Lach’s account comes amid similar concerns from other artists who worked with Angkor Art Gallery.
Cambodianess reported that several artists said they had either not been paid or had received only partial payments for works that were sold.
Some also said they had yet to recover unsold artworks.
One artist, Lena Kinza, told the publication that three of her works had been sold without her receiving payment, while she had yet to get her other works back.
Singaporean artist Joshua Chiang also reportedly contacted the gallery about payment for his works, according to Cambodianess.
A gallery representative told him in May that it was facing cash flow issues.
Source: Cambodianess
The publication reported that some artists were also concerned about losing track of their works and the implications for their copyright.
Lach says gallery has not responded since her post
Lach told MS News that she has received no response, communication, or repayment from Angkor Art Gallery since publishing her post on 26 Aug.
She said the outstanding payment remains unresolved.
Lach also told MS News that she understood someone had already sued the gallery’s owners, but that there had been no further updates because they had left Cambodia.
A notice by the Court of First Instance in Phnom Penh summoned both individuals for preparatory proceedings for pleadings on 18 Sept.
Source: Phnom Penh Capital Court on Facebook
It noted that the court was not able to summon them through “personal service” or “service by leaving the documents at the designated address”.
MS News is not able to independently verify the location of the individuals, or the nature of the case.
For now, Lach said she wants the gallery to settle what she says remains outstanding.
Source: Sopheak Sam on Facebook
“I simply want the gallery to take responsibility and settle the outstanding payment owed to me,” she said.
“I would also like clear communication and a proper resolution so that this matter can finally be closed fairly and professionally.”
Also read: S’pore art investment firm Art Works’ abrupt closure leaves employees unpaid & artworks unreturned
S’pore art investment firm Art Works’ abrupt closure leaves employees unpaid & artworks unreturned
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Featured image adapted from Sopheak Sam on Facebook and Google Maps.
