This paper is part of ongoing work on modes of remembering the Khmer Rouge genocide. The goal is two-fold: to lay an interpretative ground for writing a history of post-1979 Cambodian art; and, to draw out ways in which this particular art history has something to say about art and the art institution in our times. The paper will explore ways in which Cambodian art and art scenes of this period may be seen to emerge in the encounter between different, even opposing cultural paradigms, crudely defined as Eastern and Western. The paradigms are formulated as such in the encounter itself, which can be an encounter with non-encounter. Crucial to the topic are the ways in which the Theravadin Buddhist dimensions of the hybrid Cambodian contemporary socio-cultural complex, characterized by theories and practices of subjectivity that differ significantly from geo-politically dominant notions of subjectivity at work in the demand for contemporary Cambodian art, can be seen to inflect art production in the post-genocidal context.

Context

'Contemporary Art in Cambodia: A Historical Inquiry' was a one-day academic symposium with renowned scholars, curators, and artists. Some have argued that Cambodia has emerged from a post-conflict society into an era of social, economic, and political transformation. This symposium focused on a dimension of its cultural transformation as it has been manifested in a burgeoning contemporary arts scene within the last decade. Through inquiries into broader artistic, cultural, and aesthetic practices, various scholars and arts practitioners spoke to historical trajectories of contemporary art practice in Cambodia and its positioning in narratives of art history. By building a critical dialogue that interrogates the way the field is being shaped, the symposium aims to strengthen the foundation for more thorough investigations into Cambodia’s recent art historical developments.

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Online

speaker

Ashley THOMPSON

Spoken language

English

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event photograph/recording

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Panel II: Forgetting to Remember, Again: Curatorial Practice & 'Cambodian Art' in the Wake of Genocide