 |
| Biography |
|
b. 1977 Svay Rieng, Cambodia
Khvay Samnang began exhibiting regularly throughout Phnom Penh while studying painting at the Royal University of Fine Arts (2003-2006). Since graduating he has been included in major exhibitions in Cambodia since, including Anon (Sala Artspace),14+1 (French Cultural Centre), Spirit House (Khmer Arts Academy) in 2007, and Art of Survival (MetaHouse), and Photo Phnom Penh (Bophana Centre) in 2008.
Khvay is currently a teacher at Chea Sim High School in rural Takmau province. He is well aware of the information gap about the Khmer Rouge era in Ministry of Education certified history books. The youngest generation of learners may not understand their parents’ early memories, yet they are made aware of their history through iconic black and white mug shots from Tuol Sleng prison, a former high-school transformed during the Khmer Rouge regime where fourteen thousand people were numbered, photographed, tortured and killed.
Whereas Cambodian artist Vann Nath - one of seven survivors of Tuol Sleng - lives to paint his horrific memories, and Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh documents the history of the prison in his award-winning film S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine, the younger Khvay Samnang re-contextualizes the images.
In his video projection Reminder, a seemingly endless number of students appear in front of the viewer, dressed identically in school uniforms. They wear hand-written nametags and are posed against a passport-blue backdrop.
Khvay was responsible for photographing nearly one thousand Grade 9 and 12 students for their diplomas. As he repeatedly took photographs with a simple Sony Cybershot camera in natural lighting, students had two dominate reactions while posing: a shyness typical of self-conscious youth, and a more culturally specific response - a resistance to being portrayed as a prisoner.
Khvay noted that, in Cambodia, only when there is one portrait is it possible for the individual to retain their identity; more than one is an immediate reminder of an unfathomable and true history.
|
|
 |
 |
|
