West Phillips

Phnom Penh: Rith

Added 2024-10-25 14:00:02 +0000 UTC

Thirty-year old Rith and I connected through a mutual friend here in Phnom Penh and exchanged messages on Instagram about doing a shoot. I ended up seeing him on Grindr after the fact though and it was there that things really sped up and sealed the deal, so to speak. He's an architect, as well as a visual artist who recently had an exhibition here, which I attended. He's funny with a goofy laugh and a killer body. Needless to say he was fun to spend time with. Thus far we've had 3 shoots together since I arrived.

This series is from our last shoot. There's a big, beautiful and dilapidated old French Colonial building in the heart of the city that used to serve as the police headquarters. It's a real shame that it's been left to fall down over the years. My understanding is that it can't be demolished because of some sort of 'protection', but it can be left to do the job itself (along with nature), as the developer waits to cash in on the valuable lot it sits on. There's so much corruption and shady dealings here and unsurprisingly, protection of historical buildings doesn't fall high on the list (if at all).

There's a lone security guard who watches the place and lives there. For a small bit of cash, he'll let you in. Really unfortunately, the upper floors aren't accessible, as the wooden stairs have long since rotted away - or maybe even partly removed to prevent folks from going up there. Now the 2 stairwells are inhabited by bats. LOTS of bats.

Cambodia, July 2024