Community Gym

Kingdom fight gym is located in the heart of Phnom Penh, behind the Royal Palace on a side street of street 19. They offer a mix of HIIT, Kun Khmer / boxing drills, sparring and overall fitness exercises. Visit their website to learn more about them.

Since the owner and I share a similar background, I wanted to implement references to the 90’s fighting genre, but with a Cambodian twist.

When I think of a martial arts school, I think of trials, a road full of challenges that you will face. I immediately think of the Snakeway from Dragonball Z. Here Goku finds himself in the afterlife and in order to return to the living world he must travel the infamous Snakeway to meet a god-like figure called King Kai.

This road of trials analogy was perfect to create a unique mural that fits the gym’s image. I used this concept to create the “Nagaway”, referring to the mythical serpent king in Khmer literature, the Naga. To add more Cambodian aesthetics, I added a kbach ornament to the dorsal fins, and by making them red, they symbolize that burning road of challenges.

Many thanks to Kwok and his Kingdom Fight Gym team for making this mural possible.