Mak Remissa finds his niche

Mak Remissa is regarded as one of the most successful Khmer photographers of his generation - alongside Associated Press’ Heng Sinith - and credits his first and third places in the National Photojournalism competition in 1997 held by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club and chaired by Phillip Jones Griffiths, as a major catalyst in his career. Currently working as a photojournalist for the European Press photo Agency, his work is often seen on the international news wires. He’s also utilised Phnom Penh galleries like Popil and Java and the Angkor Photography Festival to showcase his 2005 fine art photography exhibition, titled after a traditional Khmer proverb: “When the water rises, the fish eats the ant; when the water recedes, the ant east the fish.” You can see some of the exhibition work here.

Born in 1970, Remissa and his family were evacuated from Phnom Penh five years later by the Khmer Rouge and relocated in Takeo province. He graduated in Fine Art and Photography at the Royal Fine Arts School in Phnom Penh in 1995 and his work soon appeared in numerous publications such as Cambodge Soir, Phnom Penh Post and for Reuters and other organisations. Remissa has exhibited his fine art photography in Cambodia, France, Canada and the US, and after spending a few years in Canada, he’s now returned to live and record events in the country of his birth.