The history of Cambodian art stretches back centuries to ancient pottery, silk/ basket weaving, and stone carving. The height of Khmer art occurred during the Angkor period; much of the era's stone carving and architecture survive to the present. In ancient times, art and crafts were generally produced either by rural non-specialists for practical use or by skilled artists producing works for the Royal Palace. In modern times, Cambodian culture and art have been carefully considered as the tourist market has increased and governments and NGOs have contributed to the preservation of Cambodian culture.

The Cambodian produce many hand-made items including rattan furniture, intricate stone and wood carvings, colorful woven mats and baskets, and a variety of silver and silk ware. Many of these items are used regularly in the daily lives of the Cambodian people.

One can readily witness master craftsmen at work and purchase such gifts in markets and specialty shops throughout the Phnom Penh Capital, Siem Reap Province, Sihanouk Ville, and other potential provinces of Cambodia.

Textiles : Silk weaving in Cambodia has a long history. The practice dates to as early as the first century, and textiles were used in trade during Angkorian times. Even modern textile production evidences these historic antecedents: motifs found on silk today often echo clothing details on ancient stone sculptures.

Weavers today form sophisticated patterns of birds and flowers, mythical and realistic, often depicting Khmer tales, scenes from Angkor Wat, and the life of Lord Buddha. They produce a style of intricately patterned and dyed silk called “Kha Bang Neang Sok Kra Ob”.

There are two main types of Cambodian weaving. The ikat technique (Khmer: Chong Kiet), which produces patterned fabric, is quite complex. To create patterns, weavers tie and dye portions of weft yarn before weaving begins. The second weaving technique, unique to Cambodia, is called "uneven twill". It yields single or two-color fabrics, which are produced by weaving three threads so that the color of one thread dominates on one side of the fabric, while the two others determine the color on the reverse side.

Natural dyes made from plants are traditionally used. Red dye comes from lac insect nests, blue dye from indigo, yellow and green dye from Prohut bark, violet dye from violets, and black dye from ebony bark.

Designs incorporate images of flowers, animals, peacocks, crowns, jewels, and other motifs inspired by the Angkor era, or handed down from previous generations.

The first technique involves wrapping strands of raw silk on to a frame, and then tying the strands with banana-leaf threads into patterns. The silk is removed, dyed, and remounted on the frame to be re-tied for the other colors in the pattern, up to five times. Base color silk is strung lengthwise on to the loom. The dyed threads are the wefts, the crosswise threads, woven into the pattern originally created by the tie-dying process.

It takes a week to string the warp threads onto the loom, and a week to weave a length of silk for a Sarong. Various silk products include checkered Sarong and Sampot worn at home, patterned Hol and Phamuong worn on formal occasions, furnishings decorated for informal/ formal ceremonies, and Pidan (pictorial tapestries) used as household beauties.

Silk weaving can be seen in Koh Sotin District, Kampong Cham Province; Kean Svay District, Kandal Province; Bati and Prey Kabas Districts, Takeo Province; Prèk Changkran District, Prey Vèng Province; and Prèk Luong and Koh Dach Districts, Kandal Province.

Cambodia's modern silk-weaving centers providing employment for many rural women are Takeo, Battambang, Beanteay Meanchey, Siem Reap and Kampot provinces.

Cotton textiles have also played a significant role in Cambodian culture. Traditionally woven cotton remains popular. Rural women often weave homemade cotton fabric, which is used in garments and for household purposes. Krama, the traditional check scarves worn almost universally by the Cambodian, are made of cotton.

Non-textile Weaving : Many Cambodian farmers weave baskets (Khmer: Tbanh Kantrak) for household use or as a supplemental source of income. Most baskets are made of thinly cut bamboo. Regions known for basketry include Siem Reap and Kampong Cham. Mat weaving (Tbanh Kantél) is a common seasonal occupation. They are most commonly made from reeds, either left a natural tan color or dyed in deep jewel tones. The region of Cambodia best known for mat weaving is the Mekong floodplain, especially around Lvea Em district. Mats are commonly laid out for guests and are important building materials for homes. Wicker and rattan crafts (Tbanh Kanhcheu) are also significant. Common wicker and rattan products include walls, mats, furniture, and other household items.

Stone Carving : Cambodia's best-known stone carving adorns the temples of Angkor, which are renowned for the scale, richness and detail of their sculpture. In modern times, however, the art of stone carving became rare, largely because older sculptures survived undamaged for centuries and because cement molds were used for modern temple architecture.

During the late 20th century, however, efforts to restore Angkor resulted in a new demand for skilled stone carvers to replace missing or damaged pieces, and a new tradition of stone carving is arising to meet this need. Most modern carving is traditional-style, but some carvers are experimenting with contemporary designs. Interest is also renewing for using stone carving in modern pagodas. Modern carvings are typically made from Banteay Meanchey sandstone.

Lacquer Ware : Cambodian traditional lacquer ware reached its height between the 12th and 16th centuries. Some examples of work from this era, including gilded Buddha’s images and betel boxes, have survived to the present day. Lacquer ware was traditionally colored black using burnt wood, representing the underworld; red using mercury, representing the earth; and yellow using arsenic, representing the heavens. Lacquer on Angkorian stone dates to the 15th or 16th century.

In modern Cambodia, the art of lacquer work nearly faded into oblivion: few lacquer trees survived, and lacquer was unavailable in local markets. Today's revival is still in its infancy, but 100 lacquer artists have been trained by a French expert under the guidance of Artisans d'Angkor, a company that produces traditional crafts in village workshops. Some artists are beginning to experiment with different techniques and styles to produce modern and striking effects.

Ceramics : Cambodian pottery traditions date to 5000 BCE. Ceramics in the shape of birds, elephants, rabbits, and other animals were mostly used for domestic purposes such as holding food and water. It was very popular with the Cambodian people, especially members of the royal families between the 11th and 13th centuries.

Potting traditionally was done either on a pottery wheel or using shaping tools such as paddles and anvils. Firing was done in clay kilns, which could reach temperatures of 1,000-1,200 °C, or in the open air, at temperatures of around 700 °C. Primarily green and brown glazes were used. In rural Cambodia, traditional pottery methods remained. Many pieces are hand-turned and fired on an open fire without glaze. The country's major center for pottery is Kampong Chhnang Province.

Silverware : The work of silversmiths reached its height during the 11th century when craftsmen attained perfection. Workshops supported by the Royal Palace and the School of Fine Arts also flourished from the 19th century to the early 20th century.

Today, riparian craftsmen predominate in Kampong Luong District, Kandal Province. They use silver imported from Laos and China. Its purity varies from 70-92 percent. They produce objects such as Buddha’s images, jars, chopsticks, jewelry, knives, forks, and anklets. Small betel nut boxes in animal motifs such as rabbits, ducks, cats, deer and citrus fruits are most popular. Ornately filigree work is in the Khmer traditional style.

Contemporary silverware can be found in various markets and shops in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanouk Ville.

Wat Murals : Few historic Wat murals remain in Cambodia. The best known surviving murals are at the Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh, Wat Rajabo in Siem Reap province, and Wat Kampong Tralach Leu in Kampong Chhnang Province. Cambodia's surviving older murals are generally more refined and detailed.

Kite-flying : Cambodia's kite-making and kite-flying tradition, which dates back many centuries, was revived in the early 1990s and is now extremely popular throughout the country. Kites (Khmer: Khlèng Ek) are generally flown at night during the northeast monsoon season. A bow attached to the kites resonates in the wind like a musical sound.

Cambodian Dancing : The Cambodian dance can be divided into three main categories, classical dances which developed in the royal courts, folk dances which portray everyday life, and vernacular dances which are performed for social functions.

We can arrange a show of classical, traditional and folkloric dances for the tourists who are interested in Cambodian art.

* Khmer Classical Dance : Khmer classical dances, also known as Khmer royal ballets or Khmer court dances, are a form of the Cambodian dance originally performed only for royalty, but now also for dignitaries and the public at major official festivals and at theaters. They are called Rabam Preah Reachea Troap in the Khmer language, which mean “dances of royal wealth”.

Classical dances and songs have a deep foundation in Cambodia. Such great classical dances like “Apsara, Tep Monorom, Sovann Machha, Moni Mekhala, Peacock, etc” play a significant role in Khmer literature.

Apsara Dance : The Apsara Dance is one of two major forms of Khmer dancing, and incorporates parts of the other much-older traditional or popular dancing, which has its roots in animism and primitive magic, with Hindu forms introduced during the time of Indian influence beginning in the 1st century.

Classical dance took on its own unique form, adding movements and meaning, during the reigns of King Jayavarman II to VII. By the 13th century, it was more Khmer than Indian, unlike any other dance form in the world. At the heart of classical form is the Apsara, the joyful, almost wanton dancers whose images are everywhere. The graceful movements of the Apsara dancers, adorned with gold headdresses and silken tunics and skirts, are carved on the walls of many of the temples at Angkor.

Estimates are that there were 3,000 Apsara dancers in the 12th-century court of King Jayavarman VII. Over the centuries Khmer dancing lent its influence to the classical ballet of the neighboring countries, and some of its postures and movements are similar to other Southeast Asian dance forms. But according to Princess Bopha Devi, “The Khmer kingdom started its traditions in the 8th century, 500 years before Thailand.”

Apsara dancing is one of two elements of classical ballet, depicting early myths. Many of the dances involve performing a fragment of the Ramayana, the ancient Indian epic. Others are based on the legendary battles and mythical sagas carved in bas-relief on the walls of the temples of Angkor, including the Churning of the Sea of Milk, the great battle between gods and demons for the holy liquid that gives immortality. There are four typical roles of Khmer dance: male, female, giant and monkey, the first three being the domain of women and girls, leaving the monkey roles to the men. In the early days, it is believed that all dancers were female. Most of the dancers in the Royal Dance Troupe today are female.

Dancing holds great significance for the Khmer people, and the royal government considers the Royal Ballet in particular a national treasure.

Tep Monorom Dance (Dance of Happiness of the Gods) : This dance typifies all the grace, elegance, beauty and refinement that define the Cambodian classical dance repertoire. The dancers, portraying the Cambodian gods and goddesses of antiquity, descend from the heaven and envelop our earthly surroundings with their happiness and joy.

The dance, in its hand and body movements and the song which accompanies the dance, reflects the highly formalized and ritualistic relationships between male and female gods. In turn, the mannerisms of the gods were adopted as part of the Cambodian court ritual and what was to develop as an artistic courtship ritual.

* Sovann Machha Dance : In this dance “Hanuman and Sovann Machha” (an excerpt from a famous Cambodian legend called the Reamker), Hanuman, the white monkey general, leads an army of monkeys to build a bridge across the ocean to rescue a captive princess. But as fast as they pile up stones for the bridge, the stones mysteriously disappear. Hanuman dives into the sea to investigate and discovers a beautiful golden mermaid, named Sovann Machha, who has been carrying off the stones in an act of playful vandalism. He falls in love and eventually wins her over as his partner in the fight against evils.

Moni Mekhala Dance (Moni Mekhala Drama) : The Moni Mekhala Dance, or Moni Mekhala Drama, is the story involving two of the Cambodian deities, Moni Mekhala (The Goddess of Water) and Ream Eysor (The Storm Spirit). These two have been engaged in a celestial contest of wills as the Storm Spirit tries to steal a magic crystal ball from the Water Goddess, the source of her enormous power. At first, the Storm Spirit tries to beguile Moni Mekhala with flattery and charm. The Water Goddess will not have any of it. Wise to the ways of the Storm Spirit, she rejects his advances and makes a mockery of his efforts. This enrages the Storm Spirit and the battle is joined. As he advances toward the goddess, Eysor brandishes his magic axe. With precision and grace, the goddess counters him by displaying her crystal ball, by blinding the Storm Spirit, and by staggering him. Frustrated by one repulse after another, the Storm Spirit is forced to concede defeat and withdraw, muttering that he will seek his revenge another time.

According to the popular Cambodian legend, the thunderstorm is all that we mortals are allowed to see of this recurrent battle in the heaven, with lightning representing Moni Mekhala’s crystal ball and thunder representing the Storm Spirit’s magic axe clattering across the heaven as it slips from his nervous fingers.

The dance is also said to symbolize the victory of virtue over seduction. The Moni Mekhala drama represents Cambodian storytelling at its best.

Neary Chea Chuor Dance : The Neary Chea Chuor Dance is a Khmer classical dance describing the beauty of young ladies in their elegant costumes. This dance reminds the Khmer people of the rich culture that has been kept and nourished through generations, and it is well known among the neighboring countries.

Phuong Neary Dance : The Phuong Neary Dance admirably describes the great beauty of a Khmer woman. The music and the melodic song narrate her uncompromising beauty and compare it to a golden flower. Although she is practical and strong, she is also admirable and soft. This dance brings out all of which true beauty is.

Peacock Dance : The Peacock Dance is a dance symbolizing happiness in the Pailin province of Cambodia. This dance is thought to bring prosperity to villagers and it is performed during the Cambodian New Year’s and other festivals. As the dance opens, villagers are out for their afternoon stroll with umbrellas. When they stop to examine a ruby found on the ground, two courting peacocks come along and perform a lively dance.

Seven-Day Color Fashion Show : It shows seven beautiful Cambodian ladies dressed in vibrant color Phamuong for seven days of the week: Sunday – Red, Monday – Yellow-Orange, Tuesday – Purple, Wednesday – Mustard-Green, Thursday – Green, Friday – Blue, and Saturday – Burgundy. For special occasions, the Cambodian people believe that choosing the right color of clothes in accordance with the color chart will bring good luck and happiness.

* Folk Dance : Folk dances here refer to a performing art which is performed for an audience. Khmer folk dances are fast-paced. The movements and gestures are not as stylized as Khmer classical dances.

Folk dances come in two forms: ceremonial and theatrical. As a general rule, Theatrical Folk Dances are presented in public performances, and Ceremonial Folk Dances are reserved for particular rituals, celebrations and holidays. Theatrical Folk Dances such as the popular Harvest Dance and the romantic Fishing Dance are usually inspired by rural life and practices of hill tribes, farmers, and peasants. Some folk dances are about love, or are folktales about animals.

The folk dance music is played by a Mahori orchestra, which is similar to a Pinpeat orchestra except that it contains many stringed and plucked instruments and a type of flute in place of the Sralai (an oboe-like instrument).

Fishing Dance : The Fishing Dance is a dance symbolizing love and romance of the young people in a fishing quarter. Love and romance are favorite themes in Khmer stories and dance. In the traditional Cambodian society, young people are carefully watched and do not have many opportunities to get to know one another. But the fishing quarter is one place where they have the chance to meet.

Coconut Shell Dance: The Coconut Shell Dance is a Khmer traditional dancing with dancers knocking coconut shells together to sound sweet. It is truly held to memorably celebrate the harvest season in Cambodia and to show a close romantic relationship between young men and women during the harvest.

Pestle Dance : The Pestle Dance has originated from the ethnic minority, Kuoy, who have derived the dance style from their daily life activities. It is usually performed during the Khmer New Year’s and during the post-riceharvest time.

Butterfly Dance : The Butterfly Dance illustrates a story of bug busters working diligently to maintain the garden and keeping unwanted bugs away. At the same time, a group of young female butterflies is flying, singing, and looking for pollen to extract in the garden. To their surprise, the butterflies are quietly caught by the bug busters. They try to convince the bug busters to release them by claiming they were just beautifying the garden.

Kèn Dance : The Kèn Dance has originated in the northeast province of Cambodia. It is a dance that was traditionally performed when the Cambodian gathered to celebrate the New Year’s. Like many Cambodian folk dances, the Kèn dance has a courtship theme. Many of the young men in this part of the country play a mouth organ called “Kèn”, which is made of strips of bamboo, and which is decorated with flowers. The dance demonstrates how men would play music in the open area of villages to attract young women passing by.

* Vernacular Dance (or social dance) : Vernacular dances (or social dances) are dances which are danced at social gatherings. Such dances include Ram Vong, Ram Kbach, Ram Saravan, Lam Leav (literally: "Lao dance") and so on. Some of these dances have much influence from the traditional dances of Laos. But Ram Kbach, for example, takes heavily from the classical dance of the royal court. Ram Kbach is a simple dance which uses hand gesture similar to the classical dance, and its songs also utilize the melodies of classical dance songs combined with traditional Khmer and Western instruments.

Other social dances from around the world, including the Chha-chha, Bolero, and Madison, have had an impact on the Cambodian social culture. Such dances are often performed at Cambodian wedding receptions and banquets.

Shadow Theater : The Shadow Theater comes in two forms: Sbèk Thom (big puppets that are actually panels depicting certain characters from the story) and Sbèk Toch (small articulated puppets). The black leather puppets are held in front of a light source, either in front of or behind a screen, creating a shadow or silhouette effect. Sbèk Thom is the more unique, formal of the two types, restricting itself to stories from the Reamker. The performance is accompanied by a Pinpeat orchestra and by narration, and the puppeteers move the panels like a dance. Sbèk Toch, having a far lighter feel, presents popular stories of heroes, adventures, love and battles, with or without orchestra and with the puppeteers often doing the narration.