Photos Shed Different Light on Southeast Asia
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
In Vandy Rattana's photographs of Cambodia, there are no picturesque temples or cliched images of monks. Instead, the photographs show the gritty and unvarnished side of urban Cambodia, such as the old houses in Phnom Penh.
In an interview with The Korea Times, Rattana says it is very important to capture the past and present of Cambodian society, especially with the rapid changes.
``We don't have any photographers documenting how people live in Cambodia. I thought I should start first because the Khmer Rouge destroyed everything, documents, books and photographs, and killed the intellectuals (during the war and genocide in the 1970s). We lost everything, and we're still struggling to find our identity,'' Rattana said.
His series of photographs depict various aspects of Cambodian life, giving viewers a different side of the country not often seen by tourists.
Rattana was recently in Seoul to participate in ``Magnetic Power,'' a contemporary photography and media art exhibition organized by the ASEAN-Korea Center.
Instead of creating an exhibition focusing on Southeast Asian tourist destinations, curator Kim Yu-yeon thought it would be more interesting to focus on the flourishing contemporary art scene in the region. And not just to introduce Southeast Asian photographers and video artists, but also to somehow knock down prejudices and preconceptions that some might have about Southeast Asians.
``Some Koreans may hold some prejudices towards Southeast Asians, like those workers in factories, or married to Koreans. I wanted to break down some prejudices and to make people understand humans equally,'' she told The Korea Times.
The exhibition title ``Magnetic Power'' refers to the power to attract the public's attention towards the fresh and exciting contemporary art scene in Southeast Asia.
Works by 20 artists from the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 10 artists from Korea are currently on display in nine galleries around Seoul. The event is part of the special summit between Korea and ASEAN, from June 1 to 2 on Jeju Island. ASEAN countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Kim chose the participating artists based on her personal intuition and the focus of the exhibition, in order to gain a new perspective in understanding Southeast Asian culture.
``I tried not to choose works based on my taste, but on the taste of the Korean audience, because location is important, as is who is looking at it. I tried to bridge the differences between Korean and Southeast Asian cultures,'' she said.
Each of the artists' works showed distinctive viewpoints, and unusual sides of their home countries that are not often known to Koreans.
Malaysian artist Yee I-Lann's ``Kerbau'' is quite striking because it prominently features the Southeast Asian water buffalo, which is quite exotic for Koreans. It was also meant as a tribute to the animal, which is slowly being replaced by cows and tractors.
Sharrife Jocklin, a photographer and journalist from Brunei, presented a series of panoramic images of the lively open market at Pasar Malam Gadong.
The Lao festival during Buddhist Lent called ``Ok Pansaan'' is the focus of Lao photographer Khamsouk Keovongsay's work. Cambodian artist Lyno Vuth's ``Blue Angels'' shows plumes of smoke from incense prayer sticks,
Singapore artist Ho Tzu Nyen's ``Bohemian Rhapsody Project'' is a film set in the Supreme Court of Singapore, while its dialogue is taken from Queen's trademark song.
Filipino artist Poklong Anading's ``Light Suffers If There's No Place to Fall From,'' tackles the theme of light and ``how it reflects identity and behavior.''
``His work is very contemporary. I liked the unusual language, showing different people holding mirrors (in front of their faces). You can be a nobody because of the reflection. Or people can have no will to express themselves. There's twisted meaning in it,'' Kim said.
With Korean and Southeast Asian art works side-by-side, viewers can barely tell the difference between Korean and Southeast Asian artists.
``Some people would ask me what's the difference between Indonesian or Philippine works and Korean works. There's not much difference, and there are also similarities. We are the same people. That was my intention,'' Kim said. ``Art reflects human existence and personal expression, as well as cultural and historical background. Some asked me which one is my favorite, but for me, each one is important because of its own existence and necessity to express.''
Lack of Government Support for Art
While the Southeast Asian art scene is expanding and gaining worldwide notice, some artists lamented the lack of government support for the art sector in their home countries.
Rattana, who had a chance to see many different galleries in Seoul, admitted he was envious of the thriving Korean art scene. He noted there are only less than 100 artists right now in Cambodia, where the art scene only took off five years ago.
``There's no support from the government. Art is not important at all. This idea is wrong because art brings peace, raises awareness and sparks creativity among the people,'' Rattana said.
Kuswidananto Jompet, an Indonesian artist who presented a video artwork and manifesto ``Java's Machine: Phantasmagoria,'' said the art scene does get a lot of help from the government.
``All of the projects are initiated by the art community. The art community is getting quite strong, there are some events like the Jakarta biennale,'' Jompet said.
Brunei artist Barry Sli, whose photographs show the National Day celebrations, also hoped the ``Magnetic Power'' exhibition will help create more awareness about contemporary art back home.
``We have growing numbers of photographers and videographers in art, but in terms of facilities, there are not enough galleries or spaces that show the works of local artists. I think this exhibition, and this partnership creates opportunities for the government to see that there is a vibrant contemporary art scene in Brunei,'' Sli said.
A total of nine galleries, located in Samcheong-dong, Palpan-dong, Daehakno, and Gangnam, are participating in the ``Magnetic Power'' exhibition, which runs through June 6. These are Coreana Museum of Art, Gallery jungmiso Gallery Sun Contemporary, Gallery Jinsun, Lee C Gallery, Hanbyukwon Gallery, Gallery Doll, Kimhyunjoo Gallery, and Gallery Sang. Visit www.aseankorea.com.