Leang Seckon

(b.1974)

World Born

Footnotes

Provenance
Private collection, Hong Kong

Exhibited
Art Basel HK, Hong Kong, 14-17 March 2015.
Hell on Earth, London, 27 June-25 July 2014.
8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT8), Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia, 21 November 2015-10 April 2016.

Literature
Hell on Earth, Rossi & Rossi, London, 2014, p.43.

Leang Seckon
世界誕生
2013年作

綜合媒體 拼貼 畫布

來源
香港私人收藏

展覽
香港，「巴瑟爾藝術展」，2015年3月14日至17日
倫敦，「Hell on Earth」，2014年6月27日至7月25日
澳洲布里斯班，「第八屆亞太當代藝術三年展」，昆士蘭美術館與現代美術館，2015年11月21日至2016年4月10日

出版
Rossi & Rossi,《Hell on Earth》，倫敦，2014年，第43頁

Among one of the few remaining Cambodian artists who had directly experienced the Khmer Rouge regime is the well-known contemporary artist Leang Seckon. Having undergone a brutal reign, Leang's understanding and perception of his country's socio-political history are communicated through his works. Highly autobiographical, Leang's works—often expressed in forms of paintings, collages and video—possess rich images and deep emotion, reflecting his experience of the turbulent history of modern Cambodia. Born in 1974, Leang is particularly known for his collage technique and wealth of colours, using images found on used magazines, cardboards or other everyday objects; every image serves to archive his stories. Leang's dense paintings are characterised by lush, tapestry-like surfaces, filled with collage elements, embroidery and illustrations that combine memories, childhood stories, myth, popular culture and history.

World Born is a major work that was exhibited in the eighth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (2015-16). Through this complex figurative piece, Leang highlights several social and political developments, as well as baring his innermost feeling by sharing his journey growing up with fear and his hope on what continue to shape the society today. Devoid of traditional painting perspectives, World Born is a motley of pictures piled on top of or alongside one another. The juxtaposing images of various religious icons, famous as well as non-descript personalities appeal to viewers instantly. Surreal and metaphorically rich, Leang invites viewers to read his account from left to right. On the left, a tall figure which resembles an exploding volcano with overflowing lava exhibits several images of celebrities and renowned artists and pop cultural symbols. The artist refers to the new generation who grew up exposed to myriad commercial ideas. He likens their consumerist behaviour to economic problems that are continuously brushed aside; should such development become unsustainable, they will explode just like the volcanic mountain on the left.

The middle segment in World Born solely describes experiences personal to him, exemplified through coloured drawings of a baby enveloped in his mother's womb and a man receiving an object from an old man, both of which are prominently displayed at the bottom. They symbolise his family's difficult situations during the war, in which his father's hope for his child was a stark contrast to their circumstances. The artist also shares his fear through a dreamlike imagery of a pregnant red bull. On top he shares his experience of living under the Khmer Rouge. A family portrait by artist Zhang Xiaogang tells of shared experiences among artists who have lived under extreme tyranny. Finally, as Leang's narrative moves to the right, he expresses hope for the future and dreams of a life that continues to develop while still retaining its ancient roots and culture.