engulfed by war to one of the region's top tourist destination.
Conflict has also given way to a fledgling manufacturing industry and
a evolving culture reflected in an emerging Cambodian art scene.
Traditional art
Cambodian art was once known for its rigid, two-dimensional copies of
Angora Wat and pleasant countryside scenes that pre-dated the
country's 30-year war. Then came depictions of the sheer terror under
the Khmer Rouge, which decimated traditional culture and banned most
visual art, except for purely political purposes.
In the immediate years after the war the country's art scene was
almost non-existent. Now, artists strive to reflect a rapidly
normalizing society.
Nico Mesterharm, the director of the Meta House Art Gallery in Phnom
Penh, arrived here from his native Germany when Cambodian art was
still defined by commercial painters who mainly depicted traditional
motifs.
Emerging trends
Now, he says local artists are fusing local traditions with the modern
and borrowing ideas from abroad.
"They see also that there is a thriving art scene in neighboring
countries Thailand and Vietnam," said Mesterharm. "So they learn from
other countries, from the achievement which have taken place in other
countries."
He says the country's art scene started to change in 2005, when about
25 Cambodia contemporary artists started a project called Visual Arts
Open.
This sparked the move towards contemporary arts and away from painting
copies of landscapes or portraits to emphasize interpretation.
Chhim Sothy is among these new artists. His paintings fetch up to
$3,000 each and have been exhibited across Asia, in Europe and the
United States.
He says the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge dominated his early work
while religion and, in particular, Buddhism were also major
influences. But he now looks at other sources of inspiration.
"For my favorite painting, I like more contemporary art or abstract
art like Picasso, William Kooning, Gauguin or van Gough, I like this
style," he said. "Now I change a lot, work about the family, about the
people around me, sometimes abstract, sometimes thinking about real
life. I'm very happy because I develop a lot."
Modern art
Chhim Sothy uses oil on canvas, many shades of green, blues and a
splash of red in his nudes which relate more to urban family life than
the erotic. Mother and child are constant themes in his work which
also mixes mythical characters of Hindu poems with man as the explorer
of life.
It is a long way from the Institute of Culture and Fine Arts where
most of the country's painters are groomed in rudimentary art. It is
also a long way from the days when he sold pictures to tourists for a
few dollars.
"For some time I mix together, combine together with classical and
modern art for new art," said Chhim. "Now my artwork is so expensive
because it's a new creation, it's my concept."
The resurgence and fusion of local classical art with outside
contemporary influences is changing the cultural landscape. Film,
dance and music have also a witnessed re-awakening.
Local tendencies
But Mesterharm says there are still nagging problems concerning local
art, in particular, there is a tendency to only depict what is
considered beautiful. Artists remain reluctant to focus on social
issues in a country where poverty and corruption are prevalent.
"Most of the art is quite colorful people try to work with different
materials," said Mesterharm. "They work in the fields of sculpture,
painting and photography. They also try to do something, which is
Cambodian. They try to find their own identity. Only if they do so
they will also find a market because this is what this scene still
lacks is a local market and an international market."
While the Cambodian art scene searches for broader recognition, its
supporters say local artists have already come a long way, considering
how they are working to overcome 30 years of war and the Khmer Rouge,
who effectively annihilated Cambodian art and culture for decades.
New Generation Redefines Cambodian Art
Luke Hunt, Phnom Penh
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/New-Generation-Redefines-Cambodian-Art-136725158.html
