At the invitation of Singapore-based, private art lovers, Anicca Foundation has selected six artworks from emblematic Cambodian creators.
How to give an idea of the exuberant Cambodian art scene with a limited amount of paintings? This flash exhibition for private art lovers based in Singapore, to be held on January 18, 2019, is certainly not an attempt to some exhaustive compendium of what is going on among Khmer artists. Much more, a highly subjective "florilege" of Khmer visual arts as they stand nowadays.
Clockwise, artwork by Khchao Touch (2), Chhan Dina, Séra, Sao Sreymao (2)
"A rather difficult choice, with the limitations of size for a one-shot showing in the vibrant city of Singapore", explains Marina Pok, curator and head of the Anicca Foundation. "We certainly don't want to let our numerous artist friends think we picked some of them over other ones! The challenge was to reflect main currents and endeavors from the contemporary Cambodian art scene. With a deliberate accent on women artists, definitely."
Fact is, some important trends emerge from this personal selection: the awareness of fast-paced, somehow disruptive social and environmental changes in the country (particularly with Sao Sreymao's work); the permanence of classical Khmer symbols and forms in modern Cambodian art (such as Chhan Dina's "Dancing Apsaras"); the sublimation of a painful past, at the core of Séra's artistic expression (with a painting from a really intimate series, "Heavenly Bodies); or the ongoing search for visual and spiritual connections between traditional craftmanship and modern narrative (illustrated by Khchao Touch).
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