Cambodian National Museum hosts Photo Phnom Penh from 22 October

The Cambodian National Museum in Phnom Penh joins Photo Phnom Penh from 22 October to 22 November, with exhibitions and public events planned.

Cambodian National Museum (Sala Rachana) will be a venue for Photo Phnom Penh in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, during the festival running from 22 October to 22 November 2026. The programme brings photography exhibitions and public events to cultural venues across the capital.

The museum is among the named venues for the 17th edition, giving visitors a contemporary photography stop inside one of Phnom Penh’s principal cultural institutions.

Photo Phnom Penh brings exhibitions to Phnom Penh from 22 October

Photo Phnom Penh is scheduled from 22 October to 22 November 2026. Its opening days are planned for 22 to 25 October, while the wider exhibition period continues for a month across the Cambodian capital.

The Photo Phnom Penh Association says the festival will include exhibitions, public installations, screenings, workshops, portfolio reviews, lectures and professional networking events. The organiser lists the Cambodian National Museum alongside Bophana, Hiroshima House Cambodia, the Institut français du Cambodge and other cultural venues. Its 2026 festival programme gives the theme as At Home in the World and identifies the museum as a venue.

The festival is organised in conjunction with the 20th Francophonie Summit in Cambodia. The organiser says it will bring together emerging and established artists, curators and professionals, although the detailed programme is still being prepared.

The museum’s 1920 building adds historical context to the festival

George Groslier designed the museum building, drawing on Cambodian temple prototypes shown in ancient bas-reliefs. The museum’s foundation stone was laid on 15 August 1917, and the completed building was inaugurated on 13 April 1920 during Khmer New Year.

Extensions added wings to both ends of the eastern facade in 1924. That architectural history gives Photo Phnom Penh a specific setting: the festival’s contemporary photography programme will enter a building whose design was created to present Cambodian cultural material in a modern museum.

The museum closed between 1975 and 1979 and reopened on 13 April 1979. Its official history of the building records its links with the Ecole des Arts Cambodgiens, the institution now associated with the Royal University of Fine Arts.

Photo Phnom Penh links a historic museum with new photography

The venue choice connects two different layers of Phnom Penh’s cultural life. The museum preserves a building shaped by Khmer architectural forms, while the festival uses photography, screenings and installations to examine how people relate to places, histories and communities.

For visitors, the Cambodian National Museum is therefore not listed only as a background landmark. It is part of the festival’s announced network of exhibition venues, although the organiser has not yet published which works or activities will be placed inside the museum.

Visiting Cambodian National Museum: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Photo Phnom Penh is scheduled at the Cambodian National Museum from 22 October to 22 November 2026. The festival’s opening days are 22 to 25 October 2026.
• The museum is a listed festival venue, but the detailed programme is still coming. The available announcement does not specify a separate museum exhibition or altered access arrangements.
• The museum stands on Street 13 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The official address identifies the site as being in Sangkat Chey Chumneas, Khan Daun Penh.
• The building has temple-inspired roof forms and eastern wings added in 1924. Visitors should expect a historic museum complex rather than a purpose-built contemporary photography gallery.
• Khmer is the official language of Cambodia and the national currency is the Cambodian riel. English and French are also used in parts of the capital’s cultural sector.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Cambodian National Museum

When does Photo Phnom Penh take place at Cambodian National Museum?

Photo Phnom Penh is scheduled from 22 October to 22 November 2026, with opening days from 22 to 25 October 2026.

What is Cambodian National Museum?

It is a Phnom Penh museum building designed by George Groslier and inaugurated on 13 April 1920. Extensions were added in 1924.

Where is Cambodian National Museum and how do you get there?

The museum is on Street 13 in Sangkat Chey Chumneas, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The official address places it within the central Phnom Penh cultural district.