$2 from each sale will be donated to Siem Reap Pagoda Cats –Â Â A charitable organization dedicated to the welfare, treatment, sterilization and adoption of stray cats living in a pagoda in Siem Reap.
The lion, or seung is ubiquitous throughout Cambodian culture, even though the animal is not native to this part of the world. It harkens back to the first century A.D. when Indian culture and religions (Hinduism and Buddhism) first reached mainland Southeast Asia. Khmer lion guardian statues are commonly found in the temples of Angkor such as Angkor Wat, Bayon, Pre Rup and Srah Srang. Some are still incredibly well-preserved despite the effects of time, but others have been damaged by looters and relic hunters. Once Joshua came across a lion statue with its head partially missing, and that gave him the inspiration for this illustration. After all, who better to protect a clowder of cats from a pesky puppy than the King of Cats himself?
Printed on premium art paper and sold unframed.
A4: 21cm x 29.7cm
A3: 29.7cm x 42cm
Joshua is a Singapore born artist now based in Phnom Penh. Ever since he successfully sold the only copy of his first original hand-drawn comic-book The Adventures of Hercules and Odysseus to his mother for a meal at the age of nine, Joshua Chiang has been filled with an unquenchable belief that he will achieve greatness in the realm of visual storytelling. In 2017, Joshua started Candid Cambodia, a collection of illustrations about what’s peculiar in Cambodia. He draws his inspiration from the day to day happenings in the streets of Phnom Penh. Joshua is probably most well-known in Cambodia for his pile-up art illustration of a motordop ferrying a large number of passengers and much more, capturing the spirit of anything goes in this country.