A Cambodian sculpture, a naga-protected Buddha. (Photo: Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer)Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Friday, 28 May 2010
“If the sculptures showed us clearly what they were about, we would just have a look and then walk away. But with these abstract pieces, we have to spend time and think about what they want to tell us."Though the temples of Angkor Wat have some amazing stone carvings, contemporary sculpture in the country has not been widespread.
But a group of 14 young Cambodian sculptors wants to change that. They currently have 26 pieces of modern stone sculptures on display at a new exhibition hall at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh.
The sculptures, whose meanings can be hard to decipher if not for the display tags, are the result of more than a year of hard work for the artists.
Sasha Constable, the curator of the first exhibition of its kind in the country, said the show is aimed at encouraging more young Cambodian contemporary artists and the Cambodian public to better support this kind of art.
“There is not really a market for contemporary Cambodian art within the Cambodian community,” she said in an interview at the opening session of the exhibition on Thursday night. “I really hope that will change soon, because it’s a shame really that the elder are not supporting the younger generations of artists when there is so much talent here.”
The sculptures depict animals, like fish, and forms of the human body, such as the clasped hands of a woman in front of a headless torso.
Ouk Chimvichet’s work includes “Wonder,” the carving of a male face with earrings and long hair curled into a question mark.
“The meaning of the sculpture is to have transsexual individuals consider thoroughly whether they should get their sex organs and identity changed,” the 30-year-old sculptor told VOA Khmer.
Chhea Bunna, another sculpture graduate from the Royal University of Fine Arts, brought seven of his pieces to the show. He said his efforts were to move Cambodian sculpture toward the international trend in modern art.
“When I was at school, I was taught only how to make traditional sculptures, so I want to leave these artworks of mine for the younger generations,” he said. “If we do not make something new and the next generations have to learn the old ones, we cannot move forward. The art of other countries is updated, so I want our art to go forward as well.”
Khmer traditional stone sculptures are internationally acclaimed for their detail and beauty, as shown on the walls of thousands of ancient temples across the country, especially at Angkor Wat, a national icon.
So Chenda, dean of the Royal University of Fine Arts, said the young sculptors’ work taught them about the efforts of their ancestors in building the famous temples and also showcased Cambodian ideas and imagination.
“These young sculptors are full of innovative ideas,” he said in an interview. “And they not only preserve our traditional artwork, but they also help develop our art as well.”
The exhibition is supported by Friends of Khmer Culture, a public charity registered in the US. Visitors can purchase individual pieces, and a percentage of the sales will be used for equipment and material for the university. The exhibit runs through June 6, after which it will move to the Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap, through Aug. 8.
Culture Minister Him Chhem said Cambodia needs such artwork to help push local art onto the international stage.
“We want to see our artists and their work recognized overseas,” he said.
Taket Meta, an university student who was attentively examining a stone sculpture, said this kind of art made him think and try to read the mind of its creator.
“If the sculptures showed us clearly what they were about, we would just have a look and then walk away,” he said in an interview at the exhibition. “But with these abstract pieces, we have to spend time and think about what they want to tell us.”
7 comments:
yes, in the quote above, i think it says all about why human beings needs to study and think and analyze. if it were easy, everyone would just have a look and then walk away. but khmer arts and sculptures are full of abtract ideas for us to decipher or to solve for our own. i like this idea. and yes, khmer ancient arts like temples, sculptures, etc are full of abstracts pieces. that's one of khmer civilization contributions to the world, but we have to learn about it for ourselves as khmer genius ancestors did not put it on the plate for us; they want us to solve it by way of astonishment, curiosity, etc... the khmer way of genius, really.
yes, it feeds the mind. so khmer civilization contribution to the world is all about the mind or the philosophy, subtle clues about it, etc... and it's all in the arts and sculpture on the many thousands of temple built by khmer rulers of the angkor civilization. hope that answer the question of what did khmer civilization contribute to the world. well, in abstraction are the answers to that. god bless cambodia.
i think the world need to continue to study about the great khmer civilization of angkor for it was one of the world greates civilization. during its heyday, nothing matches the khmer rulers achievement of the time, you know! we have to think in that term of the period. the scale of it all in itself is a huge abstract pieces still to be solve in order to understand the future to come, i think. maybe the riddle is in the khmer temple design, structures, carvings, sculptures, etc..., really! it will take a real or serious scholar to solve it for mankind. take the ancient khmer philosophy of the churning of the sea of milk sculpture on the wall of angkor wat for example, that alone is full of abstract pieces, let alone the the stately temple of angkor wat itself. and the bayon? preah vihear?, bantey chhmar? ta prom? even the eastern and western baray, a gigantic man-made arteficial lake, etc... all have abstract meanings, etc...
looking at ancient khmer temples, sculptures, etc is like looking into the mind of the khmer rulers of that times. interesting!
Yes interesting indeed. But we must take inspirations from the PAST to move ahead in the FUTURE, and modern Science & Technology is the FUTURE.
I'm not a scholar but I can see the the great deceiver in times past and in the presence.
i speculate that the khmer rulers that build many khmer temples like angkor wat, etc must've known something about science, mathematic, astronomy, etc for them to build in such large scale and in precision, to say the least. although, the khmer ancient temples seemed to represent the rulers' religious believes then, it must've been their vision that culminated into such large scale construction. i mean when you are at angkor wat, you have to contemplate how the khmer rulers built it, especially during that time era; no machinery, and so forth... magnificent indeed! breath-taking, mind-bloggling, amazing, astonishment, etc... try to build angkor wat in modern day without the use of modern machinery and see how difficult it will be, really!
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