WHAT

The fourth exhibition at the gallery from Cambodian artist, Leang Seckon, the exhibition highlights the changes that Cambodia has experienced due to colonisation and imperialism while integrating Khmer folklore elements. Born during Cambodia’s civil war, Seckon lived through the reign of the Khmer Rouge as well as Vietnamese occupation, and ghosts from the past sometimes find their way onto his canvases. Through each work, the artist reveals not only his personal experience in Cambodia, but also the human experience and how we constantly seek out the unknown.

WHY

A pioneer in Cambodian contemporary art, Seckon produces works that are both narrative and autobiographical. His creative process allows him to record, understand and digest his past and the living present alongside the collective Khmer psyche. There is a level of hauntedness that comes with living through a civil war, a genocidal campaign, and foreign occupation and this comes across heavily in the artist’s work. The works display the artist’s tumultuous emotions and experiences; powerful, bold, and rich with cultural and historical references, they are also intricately-detailed and thoughtfully-executed.