Friday, January 30, 2009

Khmer Blue Has Purists Seeing Red

"Yak 2" - a drawing posted on reahu.net

A Cambodian-American artist has upset some of his countrymen with highly controversial paintings of mythical apsaras, a heavenly female figure.

11/01/2009
By Luke Hunt
Bangkok Post


At first glance it's obvious. Koke Lor's art has been inspired by the bare-breasted apsaras dancing across the stone walls of Angkor Wat and hundreds of other temples that dot the Cambodian landscape.

He has also taken great pleasure in adding a dash of colour, a smile and a relaxed pose to the ladies in his portraits. In doing so, this Khmer-American artist has breathed some fresh air into an art scene overwhelmed by tradition - and landed himself an inbox full of hate mail.

Cambodia's Minister for Women's Affairs, Ing Kantha Phavy, has drawn comparisons between Lor's art and pornography, telling Spectrum the paintings were a negative reflection of Cambodian culture, values and honour, and like pornography, it was a danger to local youths.

"Most Cambodian women have reacted against these paintings. They cannot accept these paintings," she said, adding the country's powerful Post and Telecommunications Ministry is investigating ways of shutting down Lor's website, reahu.net, named after the art collective of which he is a member.

Cambodia is commemorating the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Khmer Rouge this week. Pol Pot, widely renowned for his intolerance of beauty and the annihilation of Khmer culture and apsara dancing, was swept from power by the invading Vietnamese on Jan 7, 1979.

Ten years of Vietnamese occupation followed, and civil war continued until 1998, the year Pol Pot died.

However, the country has also had 11 years of peace and is enjoying a relatively prosperous period during which the arts and education are flourishing amid hopes that a more enlightened era is beckoning. But in Cambodia the killjoys in government are never too far away.

Chuch Phoeurn, the secretary of state for the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, said Lor, like any other artist, had the right to use his imagination, but warned: "It is wrong to paint in order to degrade Cambodian women or apsara dancers."

Essentially, an apsara is a heavenly female figure, or spirit, idolised within Hindu and Buddhist cultures, and any portrayal of the mythical women who serviced the courts of Khmer kings 1,000 years ago is to tinker with the foundations of a culture.

So, when Lor plucks a woman from the ranks of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, grants her a tasteful makeover and transforms a dowdy killer into an attractive apsara with a gun, everybody in Cambodia is going to have an opinion. Especially the likes of Tuol Sleng (the notorious S-21 prison) survivor Vann Nath, who simply said: "We are not happy with these kinds of paintings. They affect the feelings of the victims and do not reflect the truth of that era."

Such attitudes have turned Lor, himself a survivor of the Killing Fields, into something of a recluse.

"To be honest, it does intimidate me," he told Spectrum, "due to the threatening emails I've received.

"You know what people in high places are capable of doing, and they could also slap me with some kind of defamation charges."

When asked about the Khmer Rouge girl, he says: "Yes I did that one. It's my way of dealing with atrocity. I went through the ordeal and it was a painful childhood.

"When it comes to the Khmer Rouge, all you'll hear is bloodshed and the Killing Fields. I've just thrown in a 'What if?"'

Lor's knowledge of the Khmer Rouge is first-hand. As an eight-year-old he fled Cambodia with his family in 1979, as Pol Pot's iron grip over the country was nearing its end and the world began counting the almost two million left dead from the policies imposed by the ultra-Maoists.

The family moved to the US, where Lor earned a degree in engineering with a minor in fine art. He is single and now lives in Chicago where he established a small art collective known as reahu.net with two other Khmer-Americans, Bong T and Chronicle.

"That is how they would like to be known. They are great tattoo artists," Lor said.

Unbeknown to most, Lor spent the 30th anniversary of Pol Pot's overthrow in Cambodia, where he sized-up the reaction to his work, and while there was no shortage of outraged puritans, there was also plenty of support from the local art scene, which readily praised his portraits.

Author Theary Seng, who wrote Daughter of the Killing Fields and is also executive director of the Centre for Social Development in Cambodia, was blunt in her appraisal: "I love it! I want to buy some for my apartment!

"It's exquisitely beautiful in it's celebration of the human body and an adherence to how apsaras were then - naked as depicted.

"His work builds Khmer culture, it doesn't destroy it," she said.

Ms Seng also reserved a few choice words for the critics.

"We are such a hypocritical and blind society to beauty; we call white, black and black, white; we trade the genuine for the synthetic.

"The naysayers tend to be those who appoint themselves as the guardians of Khmer culture, but their response is really just a knee-jerk reaction, and they have limited understanding and appreciation of beauty, aesthetics and culture," she said.

The Cambodian Centre for Human Rights has also taken up Reahu's cause and urged the government to forsake censorship and asked it not to block the Reahu website.

Meanwhile, Peg LeVine from the Melbourne-Phnom Penh based Monash Asia Institute said Lor and Reahu had struck a justifiable chord of restlessness in Cambodian society.

She said the images held a sensual beauty that was beyond question, but added: "It is not the images, per se, that are at issue here. Rather it is the vehemence by which he 'uses' if not abuses the ancestral and culturally-embedded meanings of the apsara."

In this sense she adds the artists associated with Reahu could be proving themselves to be more American-Khmer than Khmer-American.

Writing in the Phnom Penh Post, the French-Cambodian author Somanos Sar said the public outrage over Reahu was more about limits on freedom, rights and responsibilities.

"I would suggest to him that he paint a female Nazi fighter in the same way he has painted the female Khmer Rouge fighter. Maybe he could then feel the frontiers between freedom and responsibility."

Lor is unrepentant and wants Cambodians to look beyond the four walls of home, arguing that at the end of the day pictures cannot damage a culture that is confident in itself.

But given the years of destruction, a notorious culture of impunity and corruption across most levels of Cambodia's bureaucracies and institutions, few would argue that this country's culture is on solid ground.

The government has also proved adept at meddling in the social and private lives of its citizens.

At various times Western music and dance have been banned, curfews imposed, women told to wear skirts below the knee, adultery is an imprisonable offence despite the well-known dalliances of politicians, and marriage between local women and foreigners is regulated.

Lor also told Spectrum that he had considered staging an exhibition of his work in Cambodia, but had decided against it in favour of keeping it on the internet, at least in the short term.

"I don't think Cambodia is ready for it yet. Maybe in the future when things have calmed down, or when they have grown to accept my work, but it has been a great experience - I will be back here next year to see if my art is more acceptable."

86 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let the freedom of speech and the freedom of expression flourish!

And, if one does not understand or one does not want to support Reahu's artistic imagination and creativity, don't be a communist - just leave Reahu alone!

A very short message to Madame Ing Kantha Phavy - grow up please!

AwK (អក)

Anonymous said...

Good job and very impressive, reahu.net. Well done! Keep going, dude. No one can stop you. You’re in a land of a free tongue.

Anonymous said...

This is the most stupidest of art. Are you kidding me. This is a disgrace to the great Khmer culture. Are you khmer? Thats one question you should answer? Do you think your ancestors will accept this disgrace of the ancient Khmer art. In all the pictures, you view woman as inferior. I believe all of these picture are really close to pornography. Our tradition is ancient and is highly respected among many old and young Khmers. But, by creating such horrible pictures and art, you are basically disrespecting our great Khmer heritage and culture.

Please STOP.

Sincerely,

- P.P 9-6

Anonymous said...

So that you can stop or change Apsara imbedded on Angkor Wat’s walls that resemblance to a Playboy images?

Be it if you don't like it1

Anonymous said...

To tell the truth you do not make sense.

But, It looks like he wants all hte yeak to rape these apsara girl.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't make sense base on your understanding and own translation of the painting?

It's bad and so sad!

Anonymous said...

Look at the painting, folk. Yeak got intention of harming the girl and was saved by a mighty warrior according the story.

Anonymous said...

P.P9-6 ah somreh eat only mudfish go back to rice field and do some field work you are not qualify nor ready to live in capital or cities.
Ah lop or pleuh 9:15 go to ask ah Hun Sen for million yard of clothes to cover all Apsara at Ankor wat,Wat phnom and Vijet Seilapak University also close down your fucking Karaoke and brothel houses in your fucking Scambodia ,oh at the last comment see your eye doctors ,at this moment your eye sight are bad you both seeing the broken glasses you tell every one precious stones.

Anonymous said...

You know what number 9:36. Be that girl in the picture and get rape since you dont even know what art looks like and how to respect your own culture. You are not khmer at all!!! Khmer people respect there own culture. You interpret these pictures like a monkey scrating its ass. You ass scratcher. Being khmer means respecting your own culture. And not try to create porno through the valued khmer art. All these girls in the pictures have huge breasts. You know what they only reason you like these pictures is becuase all these girls are appealing to you and you just want to sleep with them. So everyday you come home and look at all these stupid pictures discriminating your own culture. YOU VIRGIN

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful piece of art..very impressive. To those of you that think this is disgrace, you need to get a life. This is call art you idiot.

Anonymous said...

By the way this is P.P 9-6

Anonymous said...

NOT ART CALLED PORN YOU NO LIFE VIRGIIN WHO LIKES TO LOOK AT THESE PICTURES GET THE REAL THING

RESPECT OUR KHMER CULTURE

PLUS IF U LIKE THESE PICTURE THEN YOU PROBABLY SUPPORT PROSITUTION

SINCERELY

- P.P 9-6

Anonymous said...

Mi Chkuork Kantha Phavy!
Look at Phnom Penh; there are a lot of Bon Sampheung!
Go ahead shut them down first!

Anonymous said...

I would say shes trying to shut them down but you cant change a country in just one day. We have to work at it. Little by little. Take small steps. And we can try by shutting all these pictures down that reflect how those american bastard view womans.

- P.P

Anonymous said...

Why feel so offense about the painting Mr. religious, 9:36AM? Sounds like you’re jealous bcuz you can’t draw an image of your own thing?

Learn how to appreciate someone’s work, would you? It’s not as bad as you think and imagination. It’s also stated in the article that this can’t damage a culture. Plus he is in a free world any way.

Believe me; Khmer culture has been spoiled badly in the past and the present-day. Look at what some monks have done lately while they’re still being monks.

Stop crying out loud, dude.

Anonymous said...

Hahahhahahahahah respecting culture my culture not youn slave ah pleu undersea my culture is the master my culture is creative and powerful culture ,what you have to say with youn ah jkout ? I do not know you have the nerve to say respecting culture ,ah Hun sen bring you to Viet servant and Kampuchea krom number two and you still do not know the shit from the ass to your face .
Reahoo you are the best if Mr. Nheuk Dim still alive he would invite you for dinner.

Reahoo please do not loose your sleep with the buffalo they do not know how to listen to the flute.

Anonymous said...

Go ahead shutdown the site, stupid! That doesn’t mean preventing people especially Khmer from access the website, duh! People will find way to gain access and view as they please. You’re dreaming and wasting your time, pal.

Don’t be so offensive discriminate against art works.

Anonymous said...

Mr. 10:13.

Be civilized for once instead of being a barbarian. Plus, get an education since you need a little work on your english. Plus, nice try in trying to use yuon in this. I dont really see how they fit into these art.

- P.P

Anonymous said...

9:52AM is Yuon that can’t spell women correctly? Also you’re not shutting down pictures, but the website, stupid!

Who teaches your English? I bet, it's Yuon, right?

Anonymous said...

Knucklehead 10:19AM, are you a lawyer, a doctor or something? Don’t try to point out someone else’s English unless you’re working for NASA.

Live with it! No complain, No, comprende?

Anonymous said...

The immoral show will be banned from Cambodia. So no need to debate about it.

Anonymous said...

Ohh look, who is calling themselves yuon. And i was saying grammer. Maybe the yuon taught you english. And for the NASA guy. No one really cares about your job. I bet your a caretaker of the whole place.This is the uglyiest art I have ever seen again

Anonymous said...

If you think it is a freedom of expression.
So, How about he, Reahu, draw a picture of your sister or your wife or your mother and then post it to show about his art of talent? What did you think? Let him do it or stop him.
If you let him do it. So, it's time to took a photo of your naked sister, naked wife, and naked mother to post in Youtube.
See...People around the world can view it. Furthermore, it's free of charge.

Post it for your free expression and to show the power of your talent. Sucker!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you number 10:59, we have something in common. You could say that the apsara pictures are your sisters, wife and mothers since we are all related by blood.

- P.P

Anonymous said...

This artist is extremely talented.
It's just a satired against Hun Sen government, so don't get upset, folks.

Why does anyone want to ban this artist? The giants depicted Hun Sen government and the nakedd lady depicted the people who are living under poverty.

If I have a house in PP I'd order a large painting like this one and hang it on my front door.

I love it.

Anonymous said...

I mispeclled satire not satired.

Anonymous said...

Eh! "P" twice, you sound like CPP ("C" once & "P" twice).
Make shure don't eat Yuon's shit.
OK?!

Anonymous said...

HEY MAKE SURE U DONT EAT MY SHIT...

P.P

Anonymous said...

10:19 you are seeing your self is the best with the English ?Come on Vietnam slave I live around with the English speaking,so it doesn't matters white ,black,spanish and Canadian I'm communicate well with them except your English mud-fish bigger than the rice ,but I think you are too low to debate first you are slave I hate the slave.
Number two you live under the dictator #10 which I have to waste my VISA money to see those that my fore father ancestor enemies.
number three you do not know how to read the line between the fine arts and the porn.
Number four your bran have some problem so you need to check it or replace with the dog brain it will better sometimes you can help your blind prime minister not to oppress your own people so bad because the patient it has it own limit.

Anonymous said...

Hypothetically, what would be the people's raction if Ms. Seng posed totally naked as she appreciates the aesthetics and cultures? Apparently, she missed the whole point of the argument, what would she say if you paint Mother Theresa or the Virgin mary in these playboy-like manner? Actually, Ms. Seng's beaury would fit these kinds of arts -photo shop- better.

Anonymous said...

That Lor guy is acoward - he should be dared to draw muslim or christian icons in that manner. Just because he thought he could get away with using Khmer icon to mix with porn fantasy, does not make him a so called "great" or "genius" artist. He stole the ideas from Apsara, US comic books, and Playboy pictures in his attempt to make a few bucks.

Anonymous said...

I do not know how many stupid Cambodian in Cambodia that doesn't understand the word MODERNIZE OR FASHION why Vietnam easy to crash them down from Khmer rouge era till present,what the culture to respect do you have ? Viet whore ,under cover and spies every where,Viet Nam will finish U all in ten more years is my prediction is not wrong,you are all so happy about drinking water under Viet armpit why your country getting smaller and smaller the example and the lesson are showing here ,you are all that criticize reahoo net,because you are all the junk or left behind person ,you all do not have TV so you do not know where the world are moving to?
So please go to grow more rice to make it cheaper so your brother sister over sea not spending too much on the rice and do not for get to check your eyes they are so bad. the arts are fine but the far left people are worst them slf. REAHOO YOU ARE THE BEST!!! love it and love it

Anonymous said...

I do not know how many stupid Cambodian in Cambodia that doesn't understand the word MODERNIZE OR FASHION why Vietnam easy to crash them down from Khmer rouge era till present,what the culture to respect do you have ? Viet whore ,under cover and spies every where,Viet Nam will finish U all in ten more years is my prediction is not wrong,you are all so happy about drinking water under Viet armpit why your country getting smaller and smaller the example and the lesson are showing here ,you are all that criticize reahoo net,because you are all the junk or left behind person ,you all do not have TV so you do not know where the world are moving to?
So please go to grow more rice to make it cheaper so your brother sister over sea not spending too much on the rice and do not for get to check your eyes they are so bad. the arts are fine but the far left people are worst them slf. REAHOO YOU ARE THE BEST!!! love it and love it

Anonymous said...

Hey Number 12:09,
First u dont even have an artistic mind. Its probably a dogs or rat brain.
Second, the apsara in the picture is your mom since you think its so beautiful.
Third, calling people yuon in a conversation like this is shit. And you are shit.
Fourth, you love to look at these images because they excite you.
Fifth, since you find all these pictures interesting, you probably support prositution and love prositute.
Sixth, all of these werid un - human art are barbaric since they depic lengendary stories like hanuman with evilness. The artist makes hanuman look like a demon wanting to rape the girl too. Even though in the real story he is actually suppose to save her. But these images are so barbaric.
Seventh, a civilized person who doesn't talk dog like you, would say that these pictures depic woman in a wrong way with no power and authority. It makes them look like slave.
Eighth, if you say I am a slave ur probably a slave too.
Nine, since you believe that these pictures are so beautiful, you probably support these arts instead of the restoration of Angkor.
Tenth, get some education instead one from a dog. LOL :D

Sincerely,

P.P

Anonymous said...

12:27, the khmer people work hard everyday just to produce rice to stablize their economy so it wont crash. With your words you are making fun of the farmers who work for a living. You are surely selfish like a cat. When you say go work in the rice field so rice would be cheaper. You are a cheap person. Don't you know we are in a economic crisis or even a depression. They are trying to work as much as they can. You are not even supporting them since they are the one keeping Cambodia on track and stablizing the country we all love and cherish.

P.P

Anonymous said...

They are applause all the Vietnam did to Cambodian PPL, they drag Cambodian people down while they have known Cambodian people will be more intelligent and talent than them,they shall push or cheering up when their own people accomplished something an EXAMPLE AS THE PICTURE FROM REAHOO NET.
When Cambodian people know how to say the khmer accomplishment are awesome, and youn MUST GO HOME?

Anonymous said...

Modernize or fashionable my ass!

That guy just copied from playboys, comic books and Khmer arts. He had nothing on his own. Make up your damn mind, will you?

Why don't you "progressive" or "modernized" person draw Muslim women and the Virgin Mary in the same manner? You know the answer; the coward artist is too fucking afraid of the outlash reaction of decent people in the "land of freedom" He is not yet courageous or modernized enough to be stupid. He miscalculated and thought that the "dumb" Khmers would be so naive to see his comic arts as "fine" arts.

Anonymous said...

12:44 you make a good point. why pick on a lovely culture like ours but he is too afriad of facing the world of this sick art.

P.P

Anonymous said...

12:44 you make a good point. why pick on a lovely culture like ours but he is too afriad of facing the world of this sick art.

P.P

Anonymous said...

PP
The youn and CPP are eat dog plus you are youn dog so why the dog smell all over the place ,do not point your finger on me but watch for your four fingers ? Eat dog and speaking in the dog language are against the LAWS here I am talking about your natural blind from the birth,because you pick on the talent ppl like reahu net ,she or he not related to me but the value of his or hers talent are impressed me,have you ever seen a naked picture? You are so dumb and ways ways back compare to pnorng or TA NGAINE people ,you are living in the stone age,you have no TV to watch and you are youn. What is big deal about that your moron or dictator? Reahu net just preserved and modernize the APSARA nothing wrong with that .

THE BIG THING IS VIET NAM COLONIZE YOUR STUPID HEAD DID YOU CRY ABOUT THAT?
OH MY GUESS was right because you are youn and youn do not khmer to grow and move out from their colonization ,have a good dream SONOK eater .

Anonymous said...

12:49 PM,

If you actually believe that supporting this Lor guy and his Reahu comic arts equals to liberating Cambodia and being patriotic; we are all in danger. I've never heard or seen a comic or tattoo artist who was hailed as role model and compared to someone who ran a government/country.

God helps us all when people think and believe "REAHOO YOU ARE THE BEST!!!"

Anonymous said...

12:44 You think you can do that? Oh please the barking dog has never bitten. Has you ever put your complain over Viet Nam colonize Khmer land? Are you still believe with the virgin ? You must be one of the most retarded person on the planet earth,stop talking to me I hate the slave especially Viet Nam slave and dog eater.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. Dog's peice of shit.
I have never used this language before but in this case i am speaking to dog who probably doesn't speak understand human language. Well, by amending the apsara into porno. I can clearly tell why you love his shit so much. You can say people are blind or stupid but ur barbaric attitude is not one of the twenty first century but one of the prehistoric age meaning the stong age also. Everytime you go back to the motherland you head right to a brothle since you dogs love those things. The rehoo website changes the Cambodian apsara into something we are not proud of. How can the Reahu website preserve the apsara. There are already tons of talented khmer artist in Cambodia who paint the proper apsara not one that we are ashamed of. And you always pointing this to yuon that to yuon but really what does the Vietnam have to do with this. The is an issue that needs to be resolved with the closure of the website. The word "moron" clearly is pointing to ur direction. With everything I have been writting like reasons backing up my statement.You chose to be a dog and say the same thing. Go bite a bone. MORON >

P.P

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. Dog's peice of shit.
I have never used this language before but in this case i am speaking to dog who probably doesn't speak understand human language. Well, by amending the apsara into porno. I can clearly tell why you love his shit so much. You can say people are blind or stupid but ur barbaric attitude is not one of the twenty first century but one of the prehistoric age meaning the stong age also. Everytime you go back to the motherland you head right to a brothle since you dogs love those things. The rehoo website changes the Cambodian apsara into something we are not proud of. How can the Reahu website preserve the apsara. There are already tons of talented khmer artist in Cambodia who paint the proper apsara not one that we are ashamed of. And you always pointing this to yuon that to yuon but really what does the Vietnam have to do with this. The is an issue that needs to be resolved with the closure of the website. The word "moron" clearly is pointing to ur direction. With everything I have been writting like reasons backing up my statement.You chose to be a dog and say the same thing. Go bite a bone. MORON >

P.P

Anonymous said...

11:02 PM,

I will support you 100% if you go and stand on the street of Phnom Penh and carry a banner saying you want liberate Cambodia from youn's colonization. If you are not that daring, stop being a hypocrite and accuse other people. The point of argument here is on the pictures that some people think they represent Khmer culture. You are welcome to express your point in the appropriate "youn colonization" section. Stop mixing and confusing yourself.

Anonymous said...

1:10 I am talking to the IDIOT or retarded person?

Don't you know Arnold the California State governor?
And also Nixon the 40th_ president of the United States? So you do not know what are you talking about,then give us a break .

Anonymous said...

1:02 PM, not 11:02 PM
(correction to 1:19 abaove)

Anonymous said...

1:21 PM,

If you can prove that that Lor guy is comparable to these two men you mentioned, I will give some respect. If not, I will stick with my opinion that you are an ignorant s.o.b. who believe in the greatness of a tattoo artist.

Anonymous said...

Your art and style are just great. You are so good in what you do. Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

1:21 PM,

If that Lor guy and his Reahu team are running to be the next Cambodian Prime Minister (like you copared him to Reagan and Arnold) then you will have some credibility, otherwise, you are just full of hot air.

Anonymous said...

I told you million times we already have a good live what we need that POWER for?LIke ah Hun Sen PPL cursing this doggy every every single minute,I'm too young I'm not ready to die.

Anonymous said...

Again, you are just a hot air, hypocrite.

Anonymous said...

Reahu you are the best don't pay attention on the slave words?

Anonymous said...

Reahu has the right to express himself and his art in his own way. and i have the right to judge his works. and to me his works are exploitative. on the other hand his works are not that original are they? what so original imitating Warcraft art work?

Anonymous said...

1:35 PM,

So, you have a good life, and too young to die? But, you are good enough to incite others to do the things that are not worth your pathetic "good life" and "young age"? That would make you a coward jerk.

Anonymous said...

Your stupid low live good at put down your own people ,when will you learn how to appreciate the fine arts? Oh I'm sorry for your stupid brain it is not your fault ,Hun ,Heng ,Chea your leaders are the same to you all that dragging REAHU down but you and your regime is worth of shit,the people around the world they look you all weird compare to animal,I heard Thai people called you AI SUT KMENE or even they die they do not want to born in Cambodia how the sound that Thai thinking about you moron,?are you all nuts ?,good at put your own people down?

Anonymous said...

Your stupid low live good at put down your own people ,when will you learn how to appreciate the fine arts? Oh I'm sorry for your stupid brain it is not your fault ,Hun ,Heng ,Chea your leaders are the same to you all that dragging REAHU down but you and your regime is worth of shit,the people around the world they look you all weird compare to animal,I heard Thai people called you AI SUT KMENE or even they die they do not want to born in Cambodia how the sound that Thai thinking about you moron,?are you all nuts ?,good at put your own people down?

Anonymous said...

Coward and jerk >>> to me I think the Viet Nam slave
and minority in your own land that would hurt my feeling then.

Anonymous said...

Who is colonize your country?
VIET NAM SIR.

Anonymous said...

1:54 PM,

Go get yourself some big tattoos from Reahu saying "You Are the Hero who is trying to save Cambodia" and " You Love Reahu Fine Arts Forever" and the upload your picture to KI.

Anonymous said...

2:02 PM, you, yes, you need to go there and lead by example and walk the talk.

Anonymous said...

Damn VIET NAM is the dog eater country,why you do not want to try some country else better, Viet Nam broke but we are all enjoy doing the Viet servant sir

Anonymous said...

2:02 at lease we still have sentiment with our birth place Cambodia differences from some folks Viet Nam step all over their stupid heads they are ignoring ,pretending they haven't seen The Viet steal ,intimidate oppressing their citizen every days, and leave REAHU alone in name of Cambodian born and try to modernize their own heritages or cultural but instead of admiring with their narrow minded it turned to be insulted with cultural exploiting nudy on APSARA hahhahahahhahahahahahhahahhahahha koun Khmer please wake up ,westerners visited your country five to six million of them every year please accept the reality stop elusenating

Anonymous said...

KEEP DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING!! I SUPPORT YOU!

Anonymous said...

10:19 AM

Hey, fuckedhead! You need to clean up your fucking egregious arrogance. Now, don't let it (your fucking mouth) get into your fucking head, asshole. Also, your English isn't perfect. In other words, you need to brush it up.

Anonymous said...

Porn Apsara will not be tolerated in Cambodia.

Fuck Pouk Ah Scam Rainxy and his Potato diggers.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Khmer love their culture so much but disrepectful to human rights. What a fuck up society. Art is art. Start to look at your surrounding environment and grow up.

Anonymous said...

No art is not art. Art like this one is porn. Snap out of it, crack head!

Anonymous said...

During the war, we managed to save our heritage and culture. Even when the vietnamese came it. All the people that love the Reahu art are basically blind and need to go and get sugery. When you are saying Vietnam slave or Vietnam stepping all over the stupid head well I guess your just one of them too since it sounds like you support all this. Plus. you surely have the nerve talking to people in the dog language. The khmer art is something that we are all pround of. But what is wrong with the old art. These art are he real story of all these folk tales do not depic characters like Hanuman with the sense of evilness since he is suppose to help the girl in the pictured. But it looks like the Reahu artist has some other intension. All these pictures can change many things among people. Kids who look at these pictures will be misguided. To 2:21, when you put these two sentences together"...haven't seen The Viet steal ,intimidate oppressing their citizen every days, and leave REAHU alone in name of Cambodian born and try to modernize their own heritages or cultural" It doesn't make sense. Only a dog could have written this. I suggest you go and change your brain with a bird. You are talking about one thing and skipping to another.

Everyone here who talkes about Vietnamese or saying to the other person you are Vietnamese is an insane person. When you say things like that why do you say it over the internet. Why dont you say it in Cambodia? Why choose to say now. Those who say all those things are Khmer ROUGE's dogs

P.P

Anonymous said...

Ladies and Gentleman,

In our conversation, I believe this person is a rude and arrogance person who doesn't respect our old khmer art. All these words go aganist the rules of this website and this person is just taking an advantage.

"Hey, fuckedhead! You need to clean up your fucking egregious arrogance. Now, don't let it (your fucking mouth) get into your fucking head, asshole. Also, your English isn't perfect. In other words, you need to brush it up."

Please stop.... MORANK PHEP KHMER..

Anonymous said...

10:55PM we not allowed monkey to watch the beautiful arts since the first if you are sensitive about the beautiful art just shut your fucking computer off that is it.
10:09 I love to eat potatoes especially your potatoes may I dig them? 10:09 your potatoes head!

Anonymous said...

All the Pimps from oversea should shuth the fuck up. Khmer people don't see porn as art as they do in the west.

Dr. Siegfried Haug said...

Your concerns are are real and very serious (sexualization of women - and demonization of men!) But the WAY you express your opinions is dangerous an de-humanizing to all of us. Someone has a different attitude and you target them as sub-human? That is where we came from. That has been the excuse for all wars and persecutions.Violent minds (for whatever 'good' reason) make for violent actions. There is nothing more base and reactionary than self-righteous dismissal of someone else's way of thinking (or painting)Fight prostitution, fight commercialization of scared traditions - but don't fight the right of each person to think their own thoughts and have their own opinions. No more totalitarian attitudes.

Anonymous said...

WT? who's fighting any individual's thought. What we are fighting is individual who carried out their blue-eyed master thought. You see the difference?

Anonymous said...

Like I said before, these monkies needs to pay attention to the victims of sex trade,rape,and the victim of Dey krohorm and stop,wasting time with this bullshit. Sex trafficking,prostitution, happen since before Lor's artwork were established...Ya monkies got running out of innocent people to dictated and abuse, so y'all decide to stir up some shit...get a life !

Anonymous said...

Fuck U Ah PP!
Fuck Ah CPP!

Anonymous said...

Wow the dog barks again since he fells like he has lost. If a dogs bites you doesn't mean you need to bite back. 7:12 probably doesn't have a brain to think since all it says it Fuck u a PP.

_P.P

Anonymous said...

Wow the dog barks again since he fells like he has lost. If a dogs bites you doesn't mean you need to bite back. 7:12 probably doesn't have a brain to think since all it says it Fuck u a PP.

_P.P

Anonymous said...

Thanks for advertising for Reahu by this blog. His work is art. If it's so objectionable then what about all the paintings sold across from the museum which is next to the royal palace? You can buy all sorts of bare breasted khmer woman oil paintings.

Anonymous said...

I like Reahu art!

Anonymous said...

PP=Pee Pee=small pea nut=no ball=butt head terrible nick got to change? Mr. PEE PEE

Anonymous said...

Pee Pee si ach Yuon.
Lid kdet Ah hun kwang.

Anonymous said...

Get your fact right NEWS, Apsara were never naked they dress in fine silk like top.

Anonymous said...

9:31Am Are you eyes sight still good? Big fat liar

Anonymous said...

Artwork is in the eyes of the beholder, and frankly speaking there nothing wrong with these picture at all. It is true, if you ever visit angkor wat you'll be expose to the veriest type of Apsara that are topless. Get over it. There nothing erotic from any of these picture,debut yes it is sensual, but definitely not porno graphic. I appreciated the man and how he brings those apasara to life through his painting. I'm sure hell of glad I live in America where freedom to express yourself is practice. Grow up people, if your going to blame anyone for devalued of the khmer culture maybe you do some studies in to cambodia politic, corruption, prostitution and sex trafficking.

Anonymous said...

I'm khmer myself, and I don't see nothing disrespectful or offense in any way. This is art! You have to use your imagination and creativity.. Judging by this artwork.. The guy is pretty good. Can't hate in that.