Phnom Penh: Plantation Urban Resort & Spa is pleased to announce Human Canvas: Portraits of Identity, a solo exhibition by documentary and travel photographer Joaquin Barata, on view from 10 September to 19 October, with an opening reception on 10 September.
The exhibition presents 19 portraits captured between 2021 and 2025 across eight countries in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, exploring the human body as a living canvas of cultural identity. Each portrait reflects aesthetic traditions where body paint, tattoos, scarification, attire, and symbolic elements are used as visual markers of belonging and belief.
Joaquin’s path into photography has been shaped by years of travel and exploration across 5 continents. “Photography began as a way to document my travels, but it became my reason for traveling,” he explains. “It allows me to connect with people, share their traditions, and preserve stories that might otherwise disappear.”
His work underscores the importance of cultural preservation. “For me, photography goes beyond capturing moments. I see it as a form of cultural preservation, especially as many traditions are slowly vanishing,” he notes.
Human Canvas offers Phnom Penh audiences an opportunity to engage in a visual journey into the ways communities inscribe meaning, memory, and belonging onto the body.
Joaquin Barata is a documentary and travel photographer based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, since 2016. His work explores cultural identity, social challenges, and the traditions of remote communities across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Barata has exhibited internationally in Paris, Milan, London, and New York as part of the Atlas of Humanity initiative, and his images have been featured in both collective and solo exhibitions.
Photo by: Supplied
