Artworks by contemporary Cambodian artists, including survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide, are on display at Columbia’s Maison Française and Italian Academy. The exhibition takes place in conjunction with the city-wide Season of Cambodia Festival this spring.
"Cambodia, The Memory Workshop" features paintings, drawings and photographs by Séra and the late Vann Nath, both survivors of the 1975-79 genocide, and works by 12 emerging artists produced in “memory workshops” from 2008 to 2012 in Phnom Penh.
Nath, who died in 2011, was one of only seven survivors of Tuol Sleng, a Khmer Rouge extermination camp. He owed his survival to his artistic talent, having been spared execution in order to paint portraits of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot.
Curated by Soko Phay-Vakalis and Pierre Bayard, both from the University of Paris 8, the exhibition examines the crucial role of artistic expression in collective memory.
Works by Vann Nath and Séra can be seen at Maison Française. Drawings by Séra and works by the younger artists are on view at the Italian Academy.
The exhibition runs from through May 4. For hours, visit the Maison Française and Italian Academy websites.