Hand-painted shop signs, advertising billboards and public-awareness signage is fast disappearing from the roads of Cambodia and sadly getting replaced with computer-generated artwork, which is cheaper to produce. Traditionally, all signs were painted by skilled professionals and usually depict the business service in easily-understood pictures (as much of the rural population was illiterate), a name describing the service offered, often accompanied by mobile phone number(s) – all in fanciful Khmer script.
Most of the time one can find idyllic landscapes and the silhouette of Angkor Wat inside a TV screen or as a background of the signs. The charm of these painted advertisements lies in their simplistic depictions of everyday Khmer life, imperfect perspectives and proportions, color schemes and rusted appearances.
One can still encounter these hand-painted artworks in rural areas of the country, but it is getting harder, as foreign collectors buy up these pieces of art and shop owners often also dispose of old rusty signs to make way for the shiny new.
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