27/04/2026
Greetings community!
Today we wanted to give a lil peek inside Bill Gentry's process for Apsara Off the Wall:
1. This show features just ONE Cambodian model: Sai Le. Sai lives in Siem Reap as a language teacher and is a strong, independent Khmer woman raising a family and running her own business concurrently. When Gentry began taking language lessons from her, he had no idea their relationship to one another would bloom into that of artist/muse. But as his Khmer lessons continued, he began to notice Sai (or Sarah's) natural beauty, as well as force of nature. He invited her out to the temples to don an Apsara outfit, so he could use them as a couple references to some new paintings he'd been dreaming of. Sai Le enthusiastically said, "YES!!!," as secretly, she had always held a dream of being an Apsara since she was a little girl.
2. The true pivotal moment for Bill and Sai, was during that first photo session with Angkor Meanchey Apsara dress team out at the temples. And for a bit of background info: anyone who visits the amazing temples of Angkor can visit one of these dress shops located just outside of Angkor Wat, pick out a dress, and have their makeup and hair done by a whole team of skilled artisans. It's an hours-long process, sometimes taking upwards of three hours JUST to have everything meticulously prepared for the photoshoot.
The makeup is heavy, and the outfits even heavier. The crown weighs a few pounds alone. Some models will even pop in colored contacts for a super surreal effect. And then, under the blazing Cambodian sun, the Apsara model will pose and reflect on this ancient tradition of court dancers - women who reflected culture and beauty of ancient times. It's a dazzling, intense process.
So it was during that first shoot that Bill witnessed Sai Le's shapeshifting modeling abilities: She possesses a true ability to convey countless emotions and timeless expressions - through her eyes, the corners of her smile, and in the movement of her body. Of course in real life, Sai is stunning, but through the camera lens, every click of the camera revealed some kind of liminal space expression, harkening to ancient memory. Bill was literally flabbergasted. His core was moved - an impetus that began the start of over 200 paintings and drawings centered around ONE woman.
3. This series is a bit of a different direction for Gentry โ he decided to push his own boundaries and began experimenting with printing and design technology, mixed with traditional canvas painting. Many of the large works in the exhibition feature his meticulous graphite drawings printed on canvas, then layered with oil and acrylic applied in unique color ways. This mash-up is Billโs way of expressing the modern Apsara.
4. The show overall is Gentryโs method of conveying how a traditional Apsara might express herself in todayโs modern times, or how she would behave โoff hours.โ He imagined one of these court dancers stepping off the ancient stone walls, and into the current years of 2025/2026.
As his model Sai Le would remove her makeup and dress, bit by bit throughout the day, another side of the Apsara was revealed โ the side that encompassed her full expression of self: riding a moto, lounging on a couch, donning cool sunglasses and throwing chickens playfully in the air. A side that could breathe again after dazzling an audience with impeccable and trained movements. The beauty of a FULL human encompassing ALL expressions of beauty.
We hope you enjoyed this in-depth look, and come take some time in person with this exhibition of works. It truly has been a labor of love and integrity.
Apsara Off the Wall will be up through the end of May!
Have a beautiful week all.
