Experience a journey of self-awareness and the essence of survival
5 May 2011, Hôtel de la Paix’s pioneering Arts Lounge will host Tuesday, a fascinating multimedia exhibition by the awarded Cambodian artist Svay Sareth which represents both a personal story of adventure and a poignant metaphor for the transitional nature of Cambodia’s recent past. Inspired by Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, the exhibition reflects many of the themes that run through the novel, such as the ambivalence of forms of mastery, and the importance of self-awareness and perseverance in the process of adventure and survival. The focal point of the exhibition is the eponymous traditional curved-frame boat built single-handedly by Sareth, and named after the day on which it was completed.
The exhibition recounts various aspects of Sareth’s adventures on sea and land: a documentary film, Adieu/Goodbye, tells how he took 11 hours to push the boat the 27 kilometres from his Normandy studio to the sea – unsure whether it would sink or float – before paddling precariously out into the waves. Elsewhere, detailed paintings reference the symbolic importance of fish in Cambodian culture; a metal and pigment sculpture shows the patience of the subsistence farmer; the valuable surface of the installation Treasure conceals discarded objects prized by the artist for their nostalgic power; while the paintings The Ground, Foot Under Foot, and Chewing Gum reflect the dizzyingly contradictory experience of Sareth’s return from France to his homeland of Cambodia.
Born in 1970 in Battambang, Cambodia, Svay Sareth studied art in the Site 2 refugee camps as a child, and went on to co-found Phare Phonlue Selepak, a private art school in Battambang that continues to thrive today. He continued his studies in France and earned the Diplôme National Supérieur d'Études des Arts Plastiques in 2009. His work is characterised by telling his story while continuously processing its impact. His works can also be seen as acts of solidarity with the refugee and the survivor, who must take risks and persevere.
Committed to nurturing the burgeoning Cambodian art scene, the Arts Lounge is the cultural and
social heart beat of Siem Reap’s Hôtel de la Paix, offering an ever-changing exhibition space dedicated to showcasing the rich heritage of Khmer culture and offering a living laboratory for its creative future.
