National Museum of Cambodia hosts Configurations until 22 November

National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh hosts Configurations, an exhibition in the 2026 Photo Phnom Penh festival, from 22 October to 22 November 2026. The presentation by Luxembourg-based photographers Pasha Rafiy and Daniel Wagener remains available during the final week of the festival.

Configurations brings Photo Phnom Penh to the museum

The exhibition is part of the festival’s 17th edition, organised under the theme At Home in the World. Photo Phnom Penh describes the 2026 programme as an exploration of photographic expression and the relationships between places, languages, communities, memories and landscapes.

Configurations focuses on the presence of people and plants in urban space. The works are shown in dialogue with the museum’s historic collections, linking contemporary observations of city life with objects connected to Cambodia’s artistic past. The festival programme for Configurations lists Rafiy and Wagener as the participating artists and gives the exhibition period as 22 October to 22 November 2026.

The festival’s organiser lists the National Museum among its Phnom Penh venues alongside cultural institutions and public spaces across the capital. Its wider programme includes exhibitions, installations, screenings, workshops, portfolio reviews, lectures and professional meetings.

A 1920 building frames the contemporary exhibition

The museum building was designed by George Groslier, a Cambodia-born designer and curator of French parentage. Construction began in 1917, and the museum was inaugurated in 1920 during the French protectorate.

Its design draws on traditional Khmer architectural forms and decoration. The collections cover Cambodian art from the prehistoric period through the post-Angkorian period, with stone, bronze, ceramic and wooden works forming the principal groups.

That historical range gives Configurations a precise setting rather than a neutral gallery backdrop. Rafiy and Wagener’s interest in urban space is placed beside objects that record earlier Cambodian cultures, while the museum’s architecture connects the exhibition to the visual language that shaped its original design.

The exhibition also arrives while the institution’s future is being considered. A feasibility study for modernising and expanding the museum was completed in October 2026, but no construction start date has been set. The study examined the building, its collections and its visitors, and proposed a ten-year framework for future development.

Visiting National Museum of Cambodia: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Configurations is on view at the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh from 22 October to 22 November 2026.
• The exhibition is part of Photo Phnom Penh and presents work by Pasha Rafiy and Daniel Wagener alongside the museum’s historic collections.
• The museum is a Khmer-style building designed by George Groslier, with construction beginning in 1917 and inauguration in 1920.
• 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 National Museum of Cambodia

When does Configurations take place at National Museum of Cambodia?

Configurations runs at the museum from 22 October to 22 November 2026 as part of Photo Phnom Penh.

What is National Museum of Cambodia?

It is a Phnom Penh museum of Cambodian art whose building was designed by George Groslier and inaugurated in 1920. Its collections include works from the prehistoric period through the post-Angkorian period.

Where is National Museum of Cambodia and how do you get there?

The museum is in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and is one of the venues listed for Photo Phnom Penh 2026. The festival places it among cultural sites across the capital.