Kimpov Eap’s Without Fear exhibition focused on grief
Mackenzie Stone — Feb. 2, 2026
Paintings from Montreal artist Kimpov Eap’s exhibition Without Fear, are on display at the Guy-Dupré Multifunctional Centre in LaPrairie, starting Jan. 21, 2026.
The exhibition, Without Fear, which opened on Jan. 21, invites the LaPrairie community to engage with themes of grief, resilience and healing rooted in Eap’s personal history as a survivor of genocide.
“When I start painting, I feel at peace, like I’m on vacation and I feel love,” Eap said.
Originally from Cambodia, Eap survived the Khmer Rouge regime, during which she was forced into labour and endured famine before fleeing to a refugee camp in Thailand in 1979. She then resettled in Montreal in 1980 with little knowledge of the French language, eventually finding a way to communicate her experiences through painting.
Eap discovered her passion for painting after participating in a workshop held on Wednesday evenings where she realized that she had a hidden natural talent. She now carries pen and paper with her in case inspiration strikes.
With the encouragement of Professor Norman Cornett, a Montreal- based educator and arts advocate, Eap began sharing more of her work publicly.
“When I went to her art studio, it was like walking into Alibaba’s cave. Just treasure after treasure. All hidden in her studio,” Cornett said. “I told her this must get out, as she’s doing something nobody else is doing”
“A few years ago, I was invited to a major group exhibition. There were 50 artists,” Cornett said. “There was one painting I couldn’t take my eyes off. I just stood there for ten minutes.”
The painting in question was one of Eap’s.
For Eap, painting is more than her creative outlet, it is her joie de vivre. She describes painting as a transformation and diving into a world of dreams and imagination.
While Eap has experienced the loss of her two daughters and husband, she does not allow tragedy to define her work. Instead, her Cambodian heritage and life experiences influence her vibrant colour palette and emotional depth.
“Mrs. Eap has a talent in putting together very bold, very chromatic pictures, very bold colours,” said internationally renowned psychiatrist Dr. Mounir Samy, who has spent decades studying the different ways in which human beings respond to extreme trauma.
“You feel a certain authenticity, you feel something deep, something very true.”
Without Fear is open to the public at the Guy-Dupré Multifunctional Centre until April 26, offering visitors an opportunity to reflect on loss, survival and resilience through Eap’s art.