Retired fishing hulls from Kep will be reimagined by international, Cambodian, and community artists as part of a new open call presented Tuesday evening at the Sosoro Museum.
Jef Moons presents the Ten Boats+ concept to a full room at the Sosoro Museum
PHNOM PENH — Art for Kep, the cultural arm of Kep West, publicly presented “Ten Boats+,” its international open call inviting artists to transform retired wooden fishing hulls from Kep into contemporary artworks, at an event held Tuesday evening at the Sosoro Museum in Phnom Penh. More than sixty artists, gallerists, and members of the press attended.
Ten Boats+ forms the centrepiece of Kep International Art Week, Edition 01, to be held 11–14 December 2026 in Kep, with the Asian Development Bank’s Cambodia Resident Mission as principal supporter.
Jef Moons, founder of Art for Kep and CEO of Knai Bang Chatt, opened the evening by outlining his vision for Kep as a growing cultural hub within Cambodia. He presented the concept and philosophy behind Ten Boats+, describing how the project is designed to give retired fishing vessels — long central to Kep’s local economy — a second life as works of contemporary art, while drawing artists, collectors, and press attention to the town. Moons walked attendees through each stage of the project, from the current open call through production and into the Art Week itself.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Ten Boats+ invites artists, organizations, communities, and galleries to work with 10 or more retired wooden fishing hulls from Kep, following one of two pathways:
• Keep the Boat — the hull remains whole and its silhouette legible, transformed rather than dismantled.
• Fully Use the Boat — the hull is dismantled and re-authored, with its timber repurposed as material and the dismantling process documented in a dedicated Plank Manifest.
Participation is organized across four berth families:
• International — 3 berths
• Cambodian — 3 berths
• Community — 2 berths, reserved for fishing families, youth groups, and NGOs
• Beyond Ten — 1 or more berths for institutional or museum partners, with further berths open
Selected artists will work across four venues in Kep: Knai Bang Chatt, The Beach, The Yard (the project’s workshop and dismantling site), and the Sailing Club. Art for Kep will provide each participant with a hull, a production stipend, room and board for the residency period, a curatorial and technical team, a press and catalogue platform, and post-Art Week care or loan arrangements for the finished work.
Moni Keo (right) explains the online application process for artists
HOW TO APPLY
Following Moons’ presentation, Moni Keo, media and communications contact for Art for Kep, walked attendees through the practical steps of applying. The application process runs in five stages: an initial expression of interest; a curatorial conversation, with a response guaranteed within two weeks; a formal application; berth confirmation and contract; and finally the production period leading into Art Week itself.
Interested artists, organizations, galleries, and community groups can apply online at artforkep.org/tenboats-anopencallform.
KEY DATES
• Open call opens — August 2026
• Berths confirmed — September 2026
• Production window — November 2026
• Kep International Art Week, Edition 01 — 11–14 December 2026
• Afterlife programme — January 2027
An engaged audience follows the presentation closely
A WARM RECEPTION
The presentation drew an enthusiastic response from the artists and press in attendance. Several artists in the room said they were already considering how they might get involved, weighing the choice between preserving a hull intact or fully repurposing its timber. Others asked detailed questions about logistics and the residency structure, while many attendees simply came away impressed by the conviction with which Moons defended the project.
UPCOMING INFO SESSION
A second public information session is scheduled for Siem Reap on 27 August 2026, 6:00 PM, at the Museum of Cambodian Modern Art – Sar. Entry is free and open to artists, makers, galleries, NGOs, and coastal community members.
ABOUT ART FOR KEP
Art for Kep is the cultural and artistic residency programme of Kep West, developing Kep, Cambodia, as a creative and cultural destination through projects that connect artists with the town’s history, materials, and communities.
MEDIA CONTACT
Ms. Monikeo Kol
Art for Kep
+855 78 888 557
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