Rubber Man
2014 - Film & Video (Film & Video)
8:31 minutes
Khvay Samnang
The video Rubber Man continues exploring issues related to land use, also noticeable in his Untitled series (2011). More specifically, Rubber Man addresses the French colonial legacy of land use for the exploitation of rubber –today exploited by multiple forces such as individuals, governments, multinationals and international banks– and its effects on Cambodia’s indigenous forests and culture today. The video takes place in Ratanakiri, an area in northeastern Cambodia increasingly known in local and international news for land grabs and protests, and where the artist frequently traveled to over two years. In the video, the artist appears as wandering around the crops as if lost, punctually pouring fresh liquid rubber over his body, and wondering if the ancestor spirits and indigenous communities who heavily rely on each other to subsist will continue to live.
Khvay Samnang’s work critically examines the interlocking nature of ritual and politics, the humanitarian and ecological impacts of globalization, colonialism and migration, and the cultural-material histories of exchange that have shaped the Southeast Asia region. Working in performance, film and video, photography, sculpture and installation, his research-based practice draws heavily upon traditional cultural rites, dance choreography, spiritual iconography, and methods of critical remapping. Frequently collaborating with local communities or other artists, Khvay is a founding member of Stiev Selapak, an art collective dedicated to reappraising and commemorating Cambodian history and resuscitating visual practices disrupted by civil war and the Khmer Rouge regime, and has exhibited a diverse body of work that deals explicitly with issues of environmental degradation, extraction of natural resources, and the suppression of the rights of Indigenous communities. Hearsay, intuition, direct exchanges with people, and a belief in dreams and premonition often prompt Khvay Samnang who then follows stories he believes require intervention. Approaching what he considers to be universal themes through the Cambodian context, his works deal with unknown yet important events or current contentious social issues for his surrounding community. In his works spanning photography, video, sculpture and performance, the artist frequently uses simple and playful gestures as visual language to shade new lights onto of historical and cultural events and a means for resisting to the polarizing language of dominant media and legal powers covering the issues.
Colors:
Related works sharing similar palette
© » SLASH PARIS
Météo des forêts — La MABA — Exhibition — Slash Paris Login Newsletter Twitter Facebook Météo des forêts — La MABA — Exhibition — Slash Paris English Français Home Events Artists Venues Magazine Videos Back Météo des forêts Exhibition Film, installation, mixed media Upcoming Julien Prévieux et Virginie Yassef, L’Arbre, 2009 — Image : Élie Godard Film Super 8 transféré sur DVD — 7 min 18 — Ed 4 + 2 Courtesy des artistes Météo des forêts In about 1 month: January 18 → April 7, 2024 La MABA présente, du 18 janvier au 7 avril 2024, Météo des forêts : une exposition collective réunissant des travaux d’artistes de diverses générations travaillant différents médiums (dessin, photographie, vidéo, sculpture, installation…)...
© » KADIST
Lin Yilin
Golden Bridge is part of “Golden Journey”, a series of site-specific performances and installations created during Lin’s residency at Kadist San Francisco...
© » SLASH PARIS
Françoise Pétrovitch — Dans mes mains — Semiose Gallery — Exhibition — Slash Paris Login Newsletter Twitter Facebook Françoise Pétrovitch — Dans mes mains — Semiose Gallery — Exhibition — Slash Paris English Français Home Events Artists Venues Magazine Videos Back Françoise Pétrovitch — Dans mes mains Exhibition Drawing, painting Upcoming Françoise Pétrovitch Courtesy de l’artiste & Semiose, Paris Françoise Pétrovitch Dans mes mains In about 1 month: January 13 → March 9, 2024 Françoise Pétrovitch’s upcoming exhibition at Semiose is centered around an imposing bronze sculpture entitled Dans mes mains (In My Hands)...
© » KADIST
Jane Jin Kaisen and Guston Sondin-Kung
2010The Woman, The Orphan, and The Tiger begins with the sound of women’s voices describing histories of violence, of things repressed and silenced...
© » SLASH PARIS
Françoise Pétrovitch — Dans mes mains — Galerie Semiose — Exposition — Slash Paris Connexion Newsletter Twitter Facebook Françoise Pétrovitch — Dans mes mains — Galerie Semiose — Exposition — Slash Paris Français English Accueil Événements Artistes Lieux Magazine Vidéos Retour Françoise Pétrovitch — Dans mes mains Exposition Dessin, peinture À venir Françoise Pétrovitch Courtesy de l’artiste & Semiose, Paris Françoise Pétrovitch Dans mes mains Dans environ un mois : 13 janvier → 9 mars 2024 La prochaine exposition de Françoise Pétrovitch chez Semiose s’articule autour d’une imposante sculpture en bronze, Dans mes mains...
© » ARTS EQUATOR
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (29 Oct – 4 Nov 2018) | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Weekly To Do October 29, 2018 Man Bai , at No Black Tie, 30 Oct, 9pm The award-winning singer songwriter Man Bai is best known for his hit single and karaoke staple, Kau Ilhamku ...
© » MODERN MET ART
Powerful, Inclusive Angels Show to Creative Possibilities of AI Art Home / Art AI Artist Imagines an Ethereal World of Diverse Angels With Majestic Wings By Jessica Stewart on February 5, 2024 After years of curating and showcasing artistic talent as the co-founder of My Modern Met, Alice Yoo is finding her own creative voice thanks to the power of AI...
© » HIGH FRUCTOSE
Carrying a mystical undercurrent, Chie Shimizu’s sculptures are rooted in an exploration of "the significance of human existence.” The artist, born in Japan and based now in Queens, New York, has crafted these riveting figures over the past couple decades, moving between different scales and textural approaches....
© » KADIST
Lim Sokchanlina
2018The photographic series Wrapped Future II by Lim Sokchanlina brings fences used on construction sites to enclose the surrounding areas, to different locations, lakes, valleys and forests; and places them at the center of works to obscure the beautiful Cambodian landscape...
© » KADIST
Michael Armitage
2015In “And so it is” shows the image of a faceless man before a microphone, ready to deliver an important message...
© » SLASH PARIS
Biennale de Venise — 2024 — 60e édition — Jardins de la Biennale de Venise — Exhibition — Slash Paris Login Newsletter Twitter Facebook Biennale de Venise — 2024 — 60e édition — Jardins de la Biennale de Venise — Exhibition — Slash Paris English Français Home Events Artists Venues Magazine Videos Back Biennale de Venise — 2024 — 60e édition Exhibition Mixed media Upcoming Biennale de Venise © Slash-Paris, 2022 Biennale de Venise 2024 — 60e édition In 12 months: April 20 → November 24, 2024 STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT ROBERTO CICUTTO : “The choice of Adriano Pedrosa as curator of the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia is the result of a process that grew out of our experience of working with Cecilia Alemani...
© » KADIST
Tarek Atoui
2017For The Reverse Sessions , the artist reversed the order in which instruments are usually created, taking the sounds of a collection of ethnic musical instruments from The Dahlem Museum as the starting point...