Written&Photographed by CHIM Linna
With the same religion, the same skin, and mostly the same culture, eight contemporary artists from two ASEAN nations, Cambodia and Burma, bring their artwork together for the first time in an exhibition at Meta House gallery downstairs for 27 days, 14 June to 10 July. This exhibition is sponsored by Heinrich Boell Foundation.
Htoo Aung Kyaw is painting his artwork,Patch Work, for "Burmese-Cambodian Exhibition" in Phnom Penh. Photo: CHIM Linna
With darker skin and a gentler face than his colleagues, Burmese, Htoo Aung Kyaw, 33, has brought his artwork named “Patch Work”, includes two photos reflecting the similarities between his nation and Cambodia in terms of culture and traditions.
Speaking in heavily accented English, Htoo Aung Kyaw said “I use the similarity of Buddha image and Angkor image, Cambodia and Burmese belief the same religion, and I want to show the connection between two countries to the visitors.”
Bringing an installation with branches, roots and leaves, paper birds, bricks, netting and handmade rattan pieces, light chain, sand and acrylic for the exhibition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Phyu Mon, 50, is one of two female artists from Burma working in multimedia and performance art in this exhibition.
With her installation entitled “Song from the Nature”, she said nature is always singing to us but we barely give back to her in return for what we get. She added that there are many natural disasters; that’s why many artists have paid much attention to environmental concepts.
Phyu Mon is installing her artwork, song from the nature, with branches, paper birds and bricks. Photo: CHIM Linna
Aung Naing Soe, 26, an artist from Yangon, created a video installation called “Life” from ice blocks.
“Life is very interesting, life is melting and life the same as ice,” he said. “Life is just melting ice and melting every second.”
Ma Ei, 33, who comes from Yangon, is sitting down, leaning on the Meta House’s wall during the preparation day, just one day before the art exhibition’s opening
“With no reason, I want to be nothing else, only an artist,” Ma Ei said. “I think I was born to be an artist.”
For the exhibition, she has the frame inside the canvas. However she did not expect all the participants to understand her artwork, only the understanding of a few visitors is enough to make her happy.
“Ordinarily the frame is for the canvas. Therefore, I like to change this position. I mean that in the social, men and women, men are always comforting from family,” she said. “Men are the main subject. So I want to change that because the role of women is also important in society.”
Yim Maline, 29, who is one of three Cambodian artists, presents her artwork with contrasting materials—soft white cotton and the sharpest nail.
Yim Maline is concentrating to install her artwork with contrasting materials. Photo: CHIM Linna
“I want the audience to use their feeling and heart to see the pictures, and I do not expect all the viewers judge this picture with the same meaning,” says Yim Maline.
Cambodian artist Khvay Samnang, 29, who has a Bachelor of Art from the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, shows a video installation lasting for 20 minutes about Samnang Cow Taxi, Phnom Penh. Meas Sokhom, 34, wrapped wire around a second-hand wheel-char and rice pot for his sculpture while Tes Vanna, 29, did an installation with wood, glass, mirror, metal wire, an oil lamp and gold leaf.
“I would stand in front of the mirror, so I could see my past and my present life,” says Vanna.
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