SINGAPORE, July 14, 2022- Singapore-based startup YouAdMe has partnered up with award-winning global hospitality operator Frasers Hospitality to promote Cambodian art. On June 24th, 2022, YouAdMe signed a memorandum of understanding with Frasers Hospitality in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to jointly launch Angkor Art Movement 2022, the first of a series of partnerships with local and international brands to promote and sell the artworks of Cambodian artists through its unique hybrid marketplace.

Under the Angkor Art movement, YouAdMe is curating a collection of artworks by Cambodian artists to be exhibited at Frasers’ 88-room Capri by Fraser property in Phnom Penh that is opening October 2022. For each physical artwork showcased at Capri by Fraser, there will be an embedded QR code that will direct visitors to its digital exhibit on the YouAdMe mobile app, where they can learn more about the artwork, chat with the artist, and even buy the artwork.

Other than the physical-virtual exhibition, the Angkor Art movement also features a series of offline events including art workshops and competitions to bring artists and art lovers in Phnom Penh together. Since its launch three weeks ago, there have been four events held that attracted the participation of hundreds of art enthusiasts, encouraging support for each other in the art community as well as sparking new opportunities and collaborations.

Mark Chan, COO of Frasers Hospitality, said: “It is an honour to be a part of YouAdMe’s Angkor Art movement, to provide a physical space for Cambodian artists to exhibit their artworks. This is a meaningful project that not only promotes Cambodia’s art and culture, but also re-engages the community and revives the people’s love and appreciation of art after three years of the pandemic.”

The history of Cambodian art and culture stretches back several centuries. In the late 1990s, the country saw a revival of art and culture in its capital city of Phnom Penh, with artistic influences and glorious cultural traditions from the past informing and inspiring new-generation artists. Over 20 years later, local artists are celebrating arts with greater passion than ever.

Digital forerunner YouAdMe tapped into the rise of digital technology to make the process of discovering emerging artists and buying works of art by Cambodian artists accessible to art lovers across the world. Before this, starting an art collection seemed out of reach for the general public with auction houses monopolising the primary fine art market. Now, the Angkor Art movement is reshaping the rules of offer and demand.

Bernard Teo, CEO and co-founder of YouAdMe, said: “By exhibiting artworks on our YouAdMe mobile app that has broken new ground in Cambodia, we are giving thousands of established and undiscovered artists convenient access to the art market both online and offline. At the same time, art lovers get the opportunity to buy artworks and support local artists.”

The YouAdMe mobile app is a social commerce platform that was launched three years ago in Cambodia by Singapore-based startup YouAdMe, which identified Cambodia as an enormous untapped market and opportunity. Capitalising on the country’s growing social media and digital community, the platform thrived during the pandemic as it more than doubled its number of users from 100,000 during its first launch to about 300,000 by the end of 2021.

With the Angkor Art movement, YouAdMe sets the pace for the Cambodian art world’s digital transformation. YouAdMe is currently in talks with another renowned hospitality group to launch a similar movement in the Philippines to promote Pinoy art, and is excited to form more strategic partnerships with brands and businesses seeking to foray into Southeast Asia to explore opportunities and jointly create value for local society and community.