Kimpov Eap shows us how to survive and thrive
The painter survived the Cambodian genocide; now she creates art about it
The paintings of Kimpov Eap are a vivid blend of expression and introspection, drawing viewers into their layered emotions and striking colour palettes.
Born in Cambodia, Eap's life was irrevocably altered by the Khmer Rouge regime. At 15, she married a teacher, and together they built a life with their four children. But one day, soldiers arrived and took all the men from her village, including her husband. From that moment, his family never saw him again.
Forced into labour, she endured famine and suffering before escaping to a refugee camp in Thailand in 1979. Resettling in Montreal in 1980, she discovered painting to be an outlet for grief, a tool for healing and a way to make sense of her past.
"[My artworks] reflect humanity,” Eap said. “I have lived through war and betrayal, where the innocent suffer for the powerful. I lost loved ones, including two children, and faced death many times in Cambodia. I never imagined surviving, coming to Canada, or becoming an artist. In 1977, I thought I would already be buried.”
Looking for something she cannot fully grasp, Eap describes herself as someone who has "come from death"—a survivor who seeks healing through meditation and art. When she paints, she speaks through her work, and the canvases respond in return. Inspiration flows naturally, often emerging without conscious thought.
For Eap, painting is about transformation—immersing herself in a world of dreams and wonder. There is no rigid process, no calculated decisions. She simply picks up her brush, intuitively selecting colours, allowing the work to unfold on its own. When she steps back, she finds balance, guided not by formal training but by an innate freedom—an act of letting go.
This raw, unfiltered approach has deeply touched the heart of Dr. Mounir Samy, a renowned psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who worked for 15 years with Doctors Without Borders in Gaza, Palestine and various locations worldwide. In 2019, Samy founded the Fondation Aquarium, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to promoting the mental health and well-being of children, adolescents and young adults.
“I am deeply moved by the work of Madame Kimpov Eap, and that was before knowing her story—before being influenced by Cambodia, the genocide, etc,” Samy said.
Samy described an overwhelming sense of disturbance that took hold of him, especially when encountering the painting Aube.
“It was completely without knowing anything about her; when I saw her works in her first exhibition, I was truly in awe, and I saw in her a true artist,” Samy said. “For me, the mark of a work of art is something that reaches deep inside me, transforms me, unsettles me and stirs something within me.”
Samy sought Eap out months later, arranging a meeting at her studio in Montreal with Dr. Norman Cornett. Cornett is a McGill University professor admired for his unconventional yet powerful teaching method who was controversially dismissed from his teaching duties in 2007.
I have lived through war and betrayal, where the innocent suffer for the powerful. I lost loved ones, including two children, and faced death many times in Cambodia. I never imagined surviving, coming to Canada, or becoming an artist. In 1977, I thought I would already be buried. — Kimpov Eap, Cambodian artist exhibiting in Survive and Thrive
Cornett, who is also an art critic and curator, has played a key role in promoting Eap’s artistry, championing her work within the interdisciplinary framework approach he calls “dialogical practice.”
The dialogical approach stands for an educational and artistic philosophy that emphasizes creative thinking, expression and deep engagement. It sees the arts as a central axis of education and human experience, fostering dialogue between the artist, the artwork and the audience.
Cornett describes the curation process as a delicate act of selection—some might call it cherry-picking. His challenge was to honour the full colour spectrum of Eap’s artistic expression while choosing works that best represent key creative periods and themes.
"French thinker Maurice Merleau-Ponty stated that, 'Every perception is an interpretation,'” Cornett said in an email to The Link. “Based on this concept, as a curator, I select works through a transdisciplinary approach that views art through many lenses, including music, psychology, literature, history, cinema, philosophy, the sciences, sociology and religious studies. This integrated vision of art constitutes the operative principle of my curatorship."
The exhibit, Survive and Thrive, is displayed at Centre Afrika, a cultural exchange hub in the Ville-Marie area that has been serving newcomers and fostering connections for over 30 years. Originally established as a resource centre for immigrants navigating life in Canada, it has since evolved into a vibrant community space that regularly hosts cultural events, discussions and exhibitions like Eap’s.
Ex-missionaries and Centre Afrika volunteers Rita Toutant and Monique Bonnefoy highlighted the centre’s invaluable role in fostering cultural dialogue and community support.
Cornett said art should be accessible and relatable to everyone. Quoting German theologian Reinhold Niebuhr’s idea of "demythologizing" Jesus, Cornett said he believes that curators and art critics should "demythologize" art so that viewers can connect with it on a personal level. His goal is to create an exhibition space where people don’t feel intimidated by art, but rather, engage with it emotionally and intellectually.
“When I dialogue with Kimpov Eap’s art, I realize the strength of the human spirit—if she could live through everything she lived through and can come out better,” Cornett said. “I'm saying there's still hope. And this hope comes through the art of not denying what you've lived but embracing it, expressing it and laying it all out on the table, and that's what she does in her art.”
Eap’s exhibition is open to the public every day from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., free of charge, until April 10.
This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 11, published March 18, 2025.
