Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and one of the richest inland fishing grounds in the world is home to a community of fishermen. In the past years, their lives are increasingly under pressure, and many who depend on the lake are struggling to make a living. In his first solo exhibition, Roun Ry a self-taught photographer from Siem Reap captures scenes of everyday life and documents the challenges and moments of happiness of the community in which he recognizes aspects akin to his own life. “Our Village” opens on November 29 at MIRAGE Contemporary Art Space.

Tonle Sap, located just a few kilometers away from the UNESCO World Heritage of Angkor Wat is one of the world's most varied and productive ecosystems in the region and has always been of vital to Cambodia's food supply. Historically, it proved capable of maintaining the Angkorian civilization.

In the past years, however, the lake and its ecosystem are coming under increasing pressure from a combination of factors, including overfishing, alterations in annual flood cycles caused partially by the hydropower dams on the Mekong River, habitat degradation, pollution from surrounding towns and the fishermen themselves, who oftentimes abandon their unwanted equipment in the lake.

As a result, water volume has fallen, leading surrounding wetlands to dry up, with fish, the main source of livelihood for the villagers, becoming harder and harder to find. With limited education, capital, and means to switch to other professions, local communities are drawn into the cycle of poverty.