about me

      My parents are Cambodian Refugees, they survived the Killing Fields of Cambodia, came to the United States in 1983, and gave birth to me in Long Beach, California in 1984. I can honestly say that my entire life up till now, there are only two things that ever captivated my full devotion. The first was being a part of one of the largest Cambodian gangs in California. The second thing was art. 

     I started gang bangin' at 14 years old. The reason I became a gang member is because I felt so little about myself that I needed a reason to justify my own existence. Growing up, I was such a weak-minded person, I allowed the world to make me believe that my own existence didn't matter. As a gang member, I lived a destructive life-style. Destructive towards myself and towards my community.

     The first major transition in my life happened when I left Long Beach, California and moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in my mid-twenties. My move to Philly was major but it wasn't as significant as the length of my employment at the Philadelphia Zoo. I started working at the Zoo in September of 2011. At the Philadelphia Zoo, I became exposed to a degree of kindness, sincerity, and endearment that I've never experienced before. For the first time in my life, I was judged for my character and not by my appearance or the pigmentation of my skin. The Philadelphia Zoo was my introduction to society outside of the life that I knew in California.

     In 2013, as an employee of the Philadelphia Zoo, I taught myself how to work with metal and became the first ever Welder Fabricator that the Zoo had on staff. My career as an artist began in 2015 but I did not become "an artist" until September of 2017. When I first thought about doing art, I went out to seek approval from other people to see if I could go after my dreams. And EVERYONE! EVERYONE doubted me! People laughed at me! And these were people that I cared about, people that I respected. But the reason my dreams were delayed for those two years was my fault. Because inside me, I was still that weak-minded person and I allowed other people to dictate how my life turned out. I allowed them to tell me what was possible for me. 
    In the Summer of 2017, when I was all alone, when I didn't have voices clouding my own judgement, when I didn't have anyone around to distract me, that was when I created my first animal sculpture. It was a stork made from random construction materials (scrap metal) and is currently installed at the Philadelphia Zoo in front of the condor exhibit. September of 2017, when I completed that "Steel Stork", that is when I decided for myself that I will become an artist. 

      As an artist, I specialize in large scale animal sculptures. I've created a 6-foot-tall praying mantis, an eagle made entirely of nails, and a larger-than-life size metal ox (Kou-prey) which is the national animal of Cambodia, just to name a few. I've exhibited at the 2018 Global Conservation Gala, at the prestigious University of Penn's Morris Arboretum, and an international art exhibition at Philadelphia's Adrienne Theater. I've been featured on 6ABC's Localish, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Chestnut Hill Local. In 2019, I was awarded Regional's Best Sculpture Artist amongst contestants from the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and Virginia.
    Most recently, in the Summer of 2021, I made the toughest decision I ever made in my life. I left my position at the Philadelphia Zoo to become a sculptural artist in Denver, Colorado full time. My biggest accomplishment thus far is definitely the events that led up to my departure from the Zoo. Before I left, I built a 7-foot-tall giraffe made from random scrap metals donated to me from each of the Zoo's staff. My intention with that was to take items from each of their personal lives and collectively combine them to produce the sculpture. The sculpture installation was a symbol of our resurrection after Covid, it was a symbol of unification, and it is also how we leave our footprints in the sands of time to tell future generations that we were here. Upon my exit, the Zoo decided to name the sculpture after me and retired my call sign, "M8". 

     Today, I opened up my own custom artwork and metal fabrication shop in Denver, Colorado. The title of my business is Steel 'N' Pacific. Steel 'N' Pacific because "steel" is the avenue that I am using. And "pacific" because, the Pacific Ocean is a representation of how vast, how monumental the things I want to accomplish within my lifetime. Primarily, custom metal artwork will be my driving force, but I will also take on welding fabrication jobs as well. With my hands and your imagination, let's create something is my slogan. In Philadelphia, I'm known as "The Metal Guy", so I hope that that transpires over here in Denver in the same fashion.  

     When I was in Philly, because I built this reputation as a scrap metal artist, people would openly give me whatever metals they had laying around. For the most part, people like to see items from their personal lives incorporated into art. Then there are also institutions who stand by their mission of sustainability and conservation. They are always more than willing to let me sort through their metal scrap pile before they bring it to the recycling center. Here in Denver, I hope that I am able to build the same kind of relationships. 

     Scrap metal because, as I began working with it, I saw more and more of these materials that have so much potential get treated as if they were worthless. And that resurfaced feelings that I've lived with my entire life prior to the Philadelphia Zoo. Then is when the pile of "junk" scrap metals and I built this bond. Together we share the same story. The story of redemption, of resilianceness, and of finding value within ourselves when no one else was able to see it within us. And together, we plan to be the narrator of our own story. That anyone or anything can become anything. I feel like my mission is to give these materials the chance to become something more because very few people have given that chance to me.

      I do other things as well, it's just that animals are my go-to. They are the projects that stand out the most. Animals because... animals are universal. No matter what your interests are, if you were to see a six-foot-tall praying mantis or an eagle with a six-foot wingspan made out of metal, you would stop to look at it. But branching back to my roots, when I was a monk for a period of time to pay tribute to my parents for giving me life, one thing I learned is to appreciate and respect life in all shapes and forms. "Even the tiniest ant wants to live" is the teaching of the Buddha. And when I think of life in that sense, I think of how I can bring life back to the materials that I work with. Another major contributing factor was my stay at the Philadelphia Zoo. In that environment, I've learned passion, dedication, I've learned how important it is to care about the things that you do. And for those reasons, it played a huge role in my subject matter when it comes to creating art.  

     Inspiration to create art has never been a problem. When I first decided that this is what I am going to do, I became obsessed with it. I would skip my lunch breaks so I can create art. On my work days, I would wake up at 3am to work on my projects before I began my work shift. On my off days, after I put my kids to sleep, I would go to my workshop and do 10-12 hours before I have to return home and tend to my fatherly duties. That was when I was an employee, now that I am doing art full-time, I do 12-14 hours a day, six days a week. 

     The obsession comes from my obligation to create art. I feel that art expresses individuality. That when I am in my zone, I'm not only representing myself, I am also representing my culture, my community, and the people who made an impact on my life. And if I wasn't creating art, then I would be depriving the world of what I or the people of my community or background is capable of.

     The most difficult thing I face as an artist is starting. When I start a project, I go through this phase of self-doubt. If I am able to execute it? If I am able to materialize the things I visualize in my mind? There are two conflicting sides that I deal with daily. The side that is filled with self-doubt and the side that deserves it. And every day when self-doubt stands up to speak, the side that deserves it tells him to sit back down because he deserves to be here. I overcome self-doubt by simply putting in the work. If I mess up, if I make a mistake, if it doesn't look the way I want it to look, I do it again and again and again. I do it until I get it right. I developed this "until" attitude that seems to work very well for me when it comes to creating art. Or any aspect of life for that matter.  

       The message behind my work can be interpreted on multiple levels and it would all be valid. Some may look at it and think of creativity. Others may see sustainability and conservation. Some might just see it as something fun to look at. But eternally my mission is to change perspective. I want people to see the story behind the materials I use, to see something that was deemed worthless at one point but now is a part of something more valuable because we allowed it to live up to its full potential. And ultimately, I want people to have a greater appreciation or value towards life, towards the things we are surrounded by, and towards themselves. Because we all have the possibility to shine, but before we can do that, we have to be able to see it within ourselves first. 

     I feel like I am living in that moment right now. When I first became an artist at 33 years old, my plan was to have my own metal shop by the time I am 40. Here I am at 37 years old with my own custom artwork and metal fabrication shop. I enjoy the fact that I can bring people's imagination into reality with metal. Being able to provide them with something that is special, unique, and will last a lifetime gives me a sense of satisfaction I've never experienced anywhere else.

     As far as projects, it will only get larger, better, more detailed, more refined in every aspect as I continue to develop my craft. I will continue to push my work through galleries, exhibitions, shows and things of that nature.  

     Because of my relationship with the Philadelphia Zoo and the impact it had on my life, I would like to reach out to other Zoos and Aquariums across the nation to see if they would like to commission sculpture installations in the same way that I crafted the giraffe at the Philadelphia Zoo. The possibilities are endless, the only thing that is required is for me to go out there and try.