Profile

In January 2007, German filmmaker Nico Mesterharm and his Cambodian team opened Phnom Penh's META HOUSE in association with the International Academy at the Free University of Berlin. Located in the heart of the city, Cambodia's first art/communication/media center is just a few minutes away from the riverside and Royal Palace.

Boasting more than 100 sq. metres of art exhibition space and an open-air media lounge on the rooftop overlooking Phnom Penh, the three storey gallery offers an excellent space for artists-in-residence and visiting artists to interact. META HOUSE actively supports Cambodian artists and promotes the development of contemporary art in Cambodia through local and international exhibitions, workshops, community-based projects, artist exchange programs and by fostering links with South East Asian and international universities, galleries, curators, non-governmental and governmental organizations.

META HOUSE has not only established itself as a meeting place for artists and art lovers, but also as an intercultural and interdisciplinary networking platform for Cambodian-based artists, Cambodian artists living overseas and their international colleagues.
We firmly believe that contemporary art is a marker of development. The growth of expressive art forms is crucial to the development of any society, none more so than Cambodia where individuals are desperate for a voice. META HOUSE fosters an environment of self-expression and "critical thinking" and promotes art awareness and criticism.

The traditional visual arts in Cambodia reveal the essential conservatism of the Khmer. Ancient themes were preferred and there was rarely an effort to improve or adapt. The principal crafts were weaving, silver and gold works, jewelry, and wood and stone carvings. "Only after independence in 1953, and the arrival of foreign teachers in the capital, were young art students introduced to the Post-Impressionist styles of Gauguin and Picasso, and to a range of new media from gouache to crayon and oil", writes journalist Robert Turnbull. "Sadly, the

META HOUSE PHNOM PENH – GOETHE CENTER
Cambodian culture experienced a deep and devastating blow during the terrible years of the Khmer Rouge regime. Performing arts were banned and artists, artisans, dancers and musicians were executed or died. To contribute to the revival of the Cambodian art and film scene, Cambodia’s first independent arts, media and communication centre, Meta House (www.meta-house.com) was established in January 2007 in the capital Phnom Penh, in cooperation with the German “Goethe Institute”.
The “Goethe Institute” is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute, active in more than 120 countries worldwide, promoting German language education as well as encouraging international cultural exchange. Since 2016, Meta House is labeled a “Goethe-Center”. The German language is taught at our language center to more than 100 students per semester.
The multi-award-winning Meta House is Cambodia’s only independent non-profit arts and media center with an educational focus. We actively promote the development of Cambodia’s new arts movement through exhibitions, festivals, workshops, community-based projects, artist exchange programs and by fostering links with SE Asian and international universities, galleries, curators, non-governmental and governmental organizations. Our event schedule is published on our website and on facebook.