In June 2011 eight artists from Myanmar/Burma and Cambodia met in Cambodia at the Meta House Phnom Penh to engage in a two-week long exchange program and workshop, followed by a group exhibition. The art project + exhibition was curated and organized by Lydia Parusol and supported by hbs.
The four contemporary artists from Myanmar, Aung Naing Soe, Ma Ei, Htoo Aung Kyaw, Phyu Mon, and Cambodia, Yim Maline, Khvay Samnang, Meas Sokhorn, Tes Vanna worked together seeking artistic approaches to, and examining the manifestations of issues in the fields of the environment, feminism, care and spirituality.
Starting to communicate with each other via online chat several months before, they found themselves caught between virtual worlds, communicating by the written word in a foreign language. They discovered they were confronting a similar issue of being caught between competing interests: the agenda of their art practice and the restrictions within their societies. They also faced technical communication problems trying to connect between the two countries. This shared experience resulted in the name of this art project + exhibition: ‘between’.
The exchange started with visits to historical, cultural and artistic places in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap to enable the guests from Myanmar/Burma to gain a better understanding of the host country. After that, the artists started to work on their individual art works at Meta House Gallery in an open process, accessible by the audience. All artists explored different forms and materials, engaging with their inherited meanings and transforming them conceptually. The resulting exhibition was an explosion of symbols, which moved in and outside of the traditional gallery space. The artist exchange attracted considerable attention in the media in both countries (Myanmar Times, Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia Daily, BBC News TV). On the opening evening of the exhibition the Meta House Gallery and the Gallery’s Art Café were filled with curious visitors. A follow up event in Myanmar/Burma is planned for 2012.
››download catalogue (pdf, 4.8 MB)