This catalogue was published to accompany the exhibition 'Hell on Earth' by Cambodian artist Leong Seckon at Asia House, London from 27 June-25 July 2014. Includes essay by Jens Hoffmann and artist biography.

'Seckon grew up during the devastating period of Khmer Rouge rule, witnessing firsthand the government-enforced policies that led to famine and disease, as well as state executions. He describes this period as “hell on earth”, when the haunting prophecies found in a set of popular nineteenth-century Buddhist texts, the Buddh Damnay, were realized: “war will break out on all sides…blood will flow up to the bellies of elephants; there will be houses with no people in them, roads upon which no-one travels; there will be rice but nothing to eat”. The prophecies provided Cambodians with an explanation for the violence and destruction of the Khmer Rouge, placing the period within the cyclical pattern of Buddhist history.

The artist’s collages and paintings are intimate narratives of his memories from the period and the civil war that followed. The process of creating artworks simultaneously allows him to experience and express the freedom that was denied to him as a youth. However, Seckon’s work also acts as a warning: like the Buddh Damnay, it cautions against corruption and the destruction of the environment, drawing parallels between Cambodia’s present and its past.' - from publisher's website
Access level

Onsite

Location code
MON.LES4
Language

English

Keyword
Publication/Creation date

2014

No of pages

72

ISBN / ISSN

9781906576387

No of copies

2

Content type

artist monograph, 

catalogue

Chapter headings

Forms of Survival - Jens HOFFMANN

Hell on Earth: Leang Seckon
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Hell on Earth: Leang Seckon