Cheanick is a young contemporary painter based in Battambang province. Cheanick was born in 1989 in the Site 2 refugee camp before moving to Battambang province aged three. He worked in Thailand before getting into art to earn money for the family. He quit high school at 13 to join the Phare Ponleu Selpak art school in 2003. At just 28 years old, he has already had his works featured in galleries overseas, including in the United States, France, and Hong Kong.