30/01/2025
BEYOND THE WALL
By Vannak Khun
..in collaboration with his partner Emmanuel Pezard, curator Erick Gonzalez, Eric Ellul, Carlo Santoro and “Aroma Khmer”
Exhibition at Meta House Phnom Penh
21 Jan. – 20 Feb. 2025
every day for 10am to 10pm
Few extracts of the performance at opening day….
EVENT STATEMENT
Vannak Khun transforms the gallery of the German-Cambodian Cultural Centre, Meta House, into a sanctuary of layered intimacies - a space not only to be inhabited but also to be played with, felt and shared. This immersive creation invites us into a labyrinth of simultaneous sensibilities, born out of a delicate collaboration with his partner Emmanuel Pezard, art curator Erick Gonzalez and a collective of artists and performers whose presence has shaped the contours of his universe. Among them, Eric Ellul, Carlo Santoro and "Aroma Khmer" add their kaleidoscopic voices to this resonant chorus.
Vannak invites us to go beyond the surface, into the essence of his intimate universe. By inviting us into his "home", he reverses the patterns that have long defined his artistic practice over the past decade. Here the roles change: we are not spectators but participants, entering, observing and interpreting. Our gaze, once passive, becomes an act of exploration, of discovering our own curiosities. Every element raises questions. "Why" is the key word.
The door to Vannak's house swings inwards, revealing not walls but layers of identity - every mask Vannak has ever worn now fades into projections on the gallery's screens, in a retrospective offering a comprehensive view of his visual oeuvre.
There are framed self-portraits, photographs, paintings, sculptures and objects, all with a story behind them. We're somewhere between a cabinet of curiosities and a theatrical set, a reflection of different realities that together make sense and create a unity. Through the images of his ancestors, Vannak weaves his story with ours, stitching together the fragmented fabric of family memory. These relics - preserved, reimagined and thus revived - become bridges across the distances of time and space, prompting us to enter into our ongoing narratives. In reconstructing the shattered emblems of disrupted identities, Vannak rejects the comfort of resolution. Instead, he revels in their discordant beauty, creating an aesthetic of dissonance. With a masterful hand, Vannak interweaves irony and sincerity, creating a narrative that softens the weight of a difficult childhood, while implying its presence. It's also a vast embrace that brings together his companion, his friends, his omnipresent cats, his walks in the city where he has always lived, but also across this country whose wars he is a child of. Vannak invites us not as "spectators" but as kindred spirits, proposing that we inhabit this shared space not as strangers but as co-creators of its meaning.
Vannak Khun in conversation with Carlo Santoro
Phnom Penh - Manila, December 2024
VANNAK KHUN (born 1980 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia) is a contemporary artist known for his unique blend of photography and performance. Originally a finance graduate, he turned to art in 2014 and has decided to dedicate himself to it full-time in 2019. His work often explores identity and social commentary through personal narratives, using himself as a subject. Vannak has exhibited widely, most notably in the 'Adorned Body, Transformed Body' exhibition organised by the Musée International du Parfum in Grasse, and through his 'Art Home' initiative, which promotes local artists and cultural exchange. His work has been exhibited in Tokyo, Taipei, Lille and on numerous occasions in the capital as part of the Photo Phnom Penh festival, of which he is one of the pillars. His commitment to improving the Cambodian art scene continues to be recognised nationally and is now being exported internationally.
The event is supported by
Cambodian-German Cultural Association (KDKG)
Meta House Phnom Penh
MiMū Phnom Penh
Metaestetica Lab
Little Susie Phnom Penh
