BILL BENSLEY RETURNS TO PARK HYATT SIEM REAP WITH A NEW ART EXHIBITION

The designer behind Park Hyatt Siem Reap returns with an exhibition of original drawings and watercolours created across 108 countries and counting

SIEM REAP, SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA, September 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Park Hyatt Siem Reap will present NO TOURIST – A WORLD ACCORDING TO BILL BENSLEY, a new exhibition bringing together original drawings and watercolors by internationally renowned architect, designer, and artist Bill Bensley. Opening on September 18, 2026, in The Living Room at Park Hyatt Siem Reap, the exhibition will remain on view through late March 2027.

Presented as part of Drawn to the Wild, Siem Reap’s city-wide art exhibition, NO TOURIST brings together works created by Bensley during travels across 108 countries, offering a personal record of the places, people, landscapes, architecture and unexpected encounters that have captured his attention over decades of travel.

The exhibition holds particular significance at Park Hyatt Siem Reap. Bensley designed the hotel, transforming the former Hôtel de la Paix into the contemporary property seen today. With NO TOURIST, another dimension of his creative practice returns to the spaces he helped shape, bringing his work as an artist into direct conversation with his work as a designer.

DRAWING TO SEE

For Bensley, drawing is not simply a way of recording a destination. It is a way of understanding it. Travelling with a specially designed portfolio, Bensley prepares sheets of watercolor paper mounted onto 50 × 50 cm boards in his Bangkok studio before setting out. The format, large enough to create a finished work yet compact enough to travel with, has accompanied him through forests, temples, markets, villages, cities, wilderness, and remote landscapes around the world.

His guiding principle is simple: “Draw to see.”

Unlike the immediacy of taking a photograph, drawing requires time – to stop, observe proportions, examine shadows and imperfections, and notice details that might otherwise be missed. The resulting works therefore represent the time Bensley spent studying them.

NO TOURIST will feature approximately 30-40 original watercolors made during his adventures, alongside larger works, available for purchase throughout the exhibition.

“I have travelled to 108 countries and counting, usually with a pencil, a paintbrush, a portfolio and an unfortunate inability to leave interesting things undrawn,” said Bill Bensley. “For me, drawing is about stopping long enough to actually see something. You look once, then again, and gradually begin to understand what is in front of you.”

A CREATIVE HOMECOMING

Bill Bensley’s relationship with Park Hyatt Siem Reap extends well beyond the exhibition. As the designer of the hotel, Bensley reinterpreted one of Siem Reap’s landmark properties, creating interiors characterized by dramatic scale, art, craftsmanship, and an interplay between historic and contemporary design.

By presenting NO TOURIST in The Living Room, Park Hyatt Siem Reap brings Bensley’s personal artistic practice into a setting already shaped by his creative perspective. Visitors are invited to encounter not only the places represented within the works, but also the curiosity and observation that have informed his approach to architecture and design.

The exhibition reflects Park Hyatt Siem Reap’s continued commitment to creating experiences beyond traditional hospitality, using art, culture, cuisine and collaboration to connect guests with creative voices associated with Cambodia and the wider world.

Through exhibitions and cultural offerings within the hotel, Park Hyatt Siem Reap also seeks to contribute to Siem Reap’s evolving creative landscape, creating spaces in which international visitors, residents, and the city’s cultural community can encounter new ideas and perspectives.

NO TOURIST – A WORLD ACCORDING TO BILL BENSLEY
Grand Opening

The Living Room, Park Hyatt Siem Reap
September 18, 2026
6:00-9:00 PM

Exhibition Dates: September 18, 2026 – late March 2027

ABOUT BILL BENSLEY
Bill Bensley is an internationally recognized architect, landscape architect, designer and artist whose work spans hotels, resorts and destinations across Asia and beyond. Known for an imaginative and highly individual approach to design, Bensley has travelled extensively throughout his career, documenting the places he encounters through drawing and painting.

ABOUT PARK HYATT SIEM REAP
Located in the heart of Siem Reap, Park Hyatt Siem Reap combines contemporary luxury with Cambodian-inspired design and personalized hospitality. Designed by Bill Bensley and situated minutes from Angkor Archaeological Park, the hotel offers residential-style accommodations, distinctive culinary experiences and a program of cultural experiences connecting guests with the art, heritage and creative life of Cambodia.

ABOUT PARK HYATT
Park Hyatt’s legacy spans over 45 years of being the luxury choice for discerning global travelers, offering refined and exceptional accommodations in the world’s most desirable cities and resort destinations. Each property is thoughtfully designed to deliver residentially inspired elegance through architecture, world-class art, and curated immersive culinary experiences—all complemented by an intuitively personalized level of service.

Dianna Marisse Santiago
Park Hyatt Siem Reap
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