KONG Dara

My series of drawings entitled ”Tadpoles” were created for a solo exhibition at a IRoHa garden villa Theato in Phnom Penh. The work consists of interrelated series of drawings on paper. These works explore themes of life growth, persistence, love, communication and community- the concept of the collection was inspired by the lifecycle of the frog. The choice here was to use the lifecycle of frogs that develops communally as a model to examine human group support mechanisms and communal self-care strategies.

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My drawing series on paper are a series of tableaux charting community evolution. This series relates also to my personal memories. The use of yellow ink against a white background is significant in that this combination demands closer inspection by the viewer. Yellow is difficult to see from a distance against white background-thus this combination physically draws the viewer closer to the image in order to see the drawings clearly. This process of close inspection mimics the way that I as a creator have had to closely engage with the subjects of the work through researching the communities from which I as an artist drew inspiration in the development of the pieces.

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For me, art is an important way that people can share and learn together. When one goes to see an artwork, one asks. “What is that?” “Why did the artist do that like this?” Asking such questions means pushes the viewers mind to engage with their on memories, experiences and worldview. With this in mind, my drawings from the exhibition ”tadpoles” are memories from my own personal history, and histories I shared with other people.