Dayanny So’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in a Cambodian upbringing and the unexpected journey that brought the artist to the UK as a young adult. It draws inspiration from a rich tapestry of experiences, memories, and cultural influences, including the complexities of displacement that are often overlooked in understanding the postgenocide experience.  

Exploring the dynamic and entwined popular cultures of East and West through fine art practice, central themes often carry the significance of his birthplace. Music, classical Khmer sculptures, artisan handcrafts, national identity and textiles address the social and political issues of Cambodia’s turbulent past. The personal struggles as an immigrant, form layers of familiar imagery and narratives within conceptual installations.  

The traditional and tactile craftmanship evident in the work holds profound meaning for him. As a child, he spent countless hours making toys and objects for himself. This experience shapes an artistic process that involves diverse media and making activities. Despite the variation, recurrent thematic concerns, the associations of chosen textiles and a consistent practice-based research methodology provide a sense of formal coherence. Dayanny’s investigative creative journey is characterised by the continuous flow of ideas and interests. Each body of work emerges from feeding the previous one, the subject matter dictating its materials and form of expression. From this developmental progression, an evolving body of work reflects the way experiential artworks arise out at the intersections of cultures and identities.