Phnom Penh: On September 11, 2025, the Rosewood Phnom Penh and the Tribe 2026 Calendar and art exhibition will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the birth of architect and cultural icon Vann Molyvann. A stunning collection of new artwork by Li Menghang and Jo Farrell curated by Nat Di Maggio of Tribe Art Gallery for Rosewood Phnom Penh and the private event in the Sky Lobby.
The rain and over 150 people came to celebrate art here in Cambodia. Nat Di Maggio, art curator and owner of Tribe art gallery, is proud to present Rosewood’s 2026 calendar with illustrations by Phnom Penh-based artist Li Menghang. Stunning collection of 12 images celebrating the Khmer cultural icon, Vann Molyvann—next year we celebrate 100 years since his birth.
Alongside the pop-up exhibition in the main lobby of Rosewood is a thought-provoking collection of photographs by Jo Farrell, who had access to the Vann Molyvann house in Phnom Penh and now Brown Coffee on Mao Tse Tung. She was able to photograph his home in all its faded glory before the renovation. Jo Farrell comes from a family of architects; her father, Sir Terry Farrell, was the lead architect on the Rosewood itself. The exhibition runs until mid-2025 in the main lobby of Rosewood Phnom Penh.
Daniel Simon, Managing Director of Rosewood Phnom Penh, mentioned during the event at Rosewood Phnom Penh, ‘Our commitment to honouring the heritage and culture of Cambodia is reflected not only in the service we provide but also in the stories we choose to tell. This 2026 calendar is one such story curated by Nat Di Maggio, a journey through time and form, brought to life through the evocative architectural illustrations of Li Menghang. Each month of this calendar features a landmark designed by the late Vann Molyvann, Cambodia’s most celebrated modern architect. His legacy, the visionary spirit behind New Khmer Architecture, continues to shape the nation’s identity through structures that marry modernist ideals with Khmer tradition.
“Through these works, we pay homage to a man whose designs shaped the city of Phnom Penh and the spirit of a newly independent Cambodia. We hope that this collection serves as a gentle call to remember, to preserve, and to take pride in the cultural and architectural narrative of this remarkable country. This calendar is not merely a reflection of time but a reflection of the place of Cambodia, its people, and the enduring beauty of its cultural legacy.” Daniel Simon said.
In 2026, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of our father, Vann Molyvann, whose architecture helped shape Cambodia’s modern identity. His legacy lives on in the beauty, balance, and vision of his work, which still influences Cambodian architects today.
“Our family is deeply touched to see our father’s memory honoured in these artworks and calendar by Li Menghang, curated by Nat Di Maggio for Rosewood Phnom Penh. Thank you for helping keep our father’s spirit and vision alive.” The message is from the Vann Molyvann family.
Li Menghang, a Chinese-born artist, has spent the past four years living in Cambodia, where he applies his creative skills as a graphic designer and visual artist. Inspired by the vibrant culture and natural beauty of his surroundings, Lee infuses his work with a unique blend of Eastern and Western influences. This series is a tribute to the visionary work of Vann Molyvann and the spirit of New Khmer Architecture. With deep respect and admiration.
“I thank everyone who has preserved, studied, and shared these spaces – whether through stories, scholarship, or simple memory. To those who continue to care about Cambodia’s architectural heritage, and to the viewers who spend time with these drawings.” Lee said.
Jo Farrell is an award-winning black and white photographer and cultural anthropologist. Born in London, England, she has been based in Asia for the past 25 years. Her photography work focuses on traditions and cultures that are dying out, including the project “Living History: Bound Feet Women of China.”
Born into a creative family, her father is a renowned British architect, Sir Terry Farrell, with offices in London and Hong Kong—in the early 2000s he designed Vattanac Capital Tower, where the Rosewood now resides. Inspiration comes from her upbringing around architecture and design; alongside women’s traditions, Jo has a photography portfolio of buildings lost to the urban environment and often abandoned.
Her work chronicles details of life left behind. In 2024 she was invited to photograph Vann Molyvann’s home and created a series entitled “Khmer Modulor,” or “Khmer Taliesin,” honouring the family home of Vann Molyvann. Jo shoots on black and white film and uses a Hasselblad, processing the film in her darkroom in Siem Reap. She has been the recipient of numerous awards for her work, including a Jacob Riis Award, a Black and White Spider Award, and the Centre for Fine Art Photography and Women in Photography International winner juried by Mary Ellen Mark.
She has had solo exhibitions in Siem Reap, London, San Francisco, and Hong Kong and has been included in group shows in New York and LA. Her projects have received critical acclaim and have been published internationally, including in The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, BBC, CNN, Stern Magazine, and Time Out. She has spoken at TEDxWarwick and TEDxWanchai and has participated in “in-conversation” events hosted by The Women’s Foundation HK, Asia House, Barts Pathology Museum, the V&A [Victoria and Albert Museum] in London, and the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.
Known as Nat to his friends, Natale Antonino Di Maggio is a British-born art curator, of Italian, Irish, English, Albanian, Middle Eastern, and Asian heritage, who has lived in Cambodia since 2018. Demonstrating an interest in the arts from a young age, coming from a family of artisans, Nat eventually became a freelance art curator in the United Kingdom, managing collections ranging from school art projects to Turner Prize-winning pieces. One of the most memorable achievements from this period of his career was being awarded the 2016 Citizen of the Year for a community art project in East London.
In 2008, Nat and his late partner, Terry, began travelling to Southeast Asia, where they fell in love with Cambodia, her culture, and her people—leading to the opening of the Tribe Art Gallery in Siem Reap in 2018. Besides nurturing, supporting, and enabling both established and emerging local Khmer talent to realise their global potential, the gallery also regularly invites international artists to showcase their work, share their experiences and skills, and tell their stories.
As a curator, Nat focuses on reflecting the state of the world through emotions, connections, opinions, and reflections, while giving a voice to Southeast Asian artists who are heralding a new direction in art. He strongly believes that art straddles beliefs and cultures and does not discriminate between the poor and the rich, skin colour or the young and the old. Ultimately, he sees art as a means to enlighten, inform, comfort, and, above all, connect us to each other.
Photo by: One Idea & Supplied
