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...
© » KADIST
Miguel Angel Ríos
2014For Piedras Blancas , arguably his most ambitious and visually arresting video to date, Miguel Angel Ríos made 3,000 “piedras” out of a concrete/stone composite...
© » 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...
© » ARTS EQUATOR
Makassar Biennale: Gagasan Literasi Warga dan Pertanyaan Artistik Yang Abadi | ArtsEquator Skip to content Wilda Yanti Salam berbagi pandangan orang dalam tentang upaya berkelanjutan Makassar Biennale untuk membongkar konvensi penyelenggaraan biennale pada biennale pertama di Indonesia bagian timur...
© » SLASH PARIS
Kim Tschang-Yeul — Disparitions — Galerie Almine Rech, Matignon — Exposition — Slash Paris Connexion Newsletter Twitter Facebook Kim Tschang-Yeul — Disparitions — Galerie Almine Rech, Matignon — Exposition — Slash Paris Français English Accueil Événements Artistes Lieux Magazine Vidéos Retour Kim Tschang-Yeul — Disparitions Exposition Peinture Vue de l’exposition Kim Tschang-Yeul, Disparitions à la galerie Almine Rech, Paris Courtesy of the artist & Galerie Almine Rech, Paris Kim Tschang-Yeul Disparitions Encore 11 jours : 18 novembre → 22 décembre 2023 C’est à la lumière du crépuscule, en aspergeant d’eau l’une de ses toiles, que la goutte s’est révélée à Kim Tschang-Yeul, alors âgé de 42 ans...
© » ARTS EQUATOR
The working processes of artists: Grace Lee-Khoo | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia ArtsEquator Viewpoints July 7, 2020 Applied theatre practitioner Grace Lee-Khoo shares about the work of disability-led arts company Access Path Productions, which she founded in 2018...
© » HYPERALLERGIC
Nani Chacon Finds the Essence of Home Skip to content Nani Chacon, "I Miss You…" (2023), graphite and acrylic on polytab, 102 x 140 inches (all photos by ofstudio, courtesy Timothy Hawkinson Gallery) LOS ANGELES — “[Nani Chacon] addresses how a secure home is essential.” This the phrase, from the press release for Chacon’s exhibition + Home+ at Timothy Hawkinson Gallery, forced me to pause...
© » ARTS EQUATOR
Traversing Two Divergent Paths in “BITTEN: return to our roots" | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Articles Asrari Nasir of Paradise Pictures December 18, 2018 By Casidhe Ng (1,320 words, six-minute read) We move through the Kampong Bugis landscape throughout the performance, along patches of grass, the river, and brick-tiled pavements...
© » 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....
© » 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...
© » 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...
