KONG Dara

If you look at this suspended artwork, it appears like a soul flying through the air, without a home. It seems as if it has endured injustice, oppression, and neglect; as if it has been forgotten and discarded, and set adrift until finally there is nothing left, only hope. Come to think of it, it looks as though the community that has experienced this hardship and injustice has been abandoned, and is disappearing altogether.

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On the other hand, in a society that is undergoing development, all evidence of the past has been destroyed, leaving only traces of desperate despair that can never be forgotten. If you look at this society in the present day, and at the development that is taking place, you will see that there are issues we must consider and discuss, including political issues, development, society, education, culture, religion, responsibility, and many other issues too.

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These pieces of clay don’t have a clear shape or recognizably refer to anything in particular. You can compare them to a section of the population that is suffering unfairly; they will melt into the water, and they will wither and wilt like plants that don’t have enough water. The artist has used different media to make his artwork, including clay, ceramics, water, and some materials collected from the lakes in Phnom Penh. The ceramic clay is intended to reflect people suffering injustice. When it touches the water, the clay dissolves, like a neighborhood or community that is currently undergoing development, facing problems that are difficult to resolve; what’s more, losing their families, friends, relationships, community, love, history, culture, and architecture, leaving only the memories that are unforgettable.