Indochina

Leang Seckon is one of the few remaining artists in Cambodia who lived through, and directly experienced, the Khmer Rouge period (1975–79). His memories of this time, and his upbringing in the difficult era that followed, continue to be motifs in his works. Leang’s paintings are strongly autobiographical and reflect his experiences of the tumultuous and violent history of modern Cambodia. Indochina is an expression of spiritual belief, popular culture, and the way a community can address trauma amid rapid social and technological development. Leang’s dense works are characterised by lush tapestry-like surfaces, filled with collaged elements, textiles, stitching, and illustrations that combine myth, history and contemporary media. Indochina is part of Leang’s most recent body of work entitled ‘Hell on Earth’. This series represents a key aspect of his practice: placing the everyday visual culture of contemporary Cambodia within a context of ongoing collective healing.

Drawing on a myth about the creation of the Cambodian Khmer Empire, Indochina is dense with imagery representing the history of Cambodia’s kings, warriors, holy men, deities and the mighty Mekong River. Indochina was the name given to the three countries in Southeast Asia under French colonial rule – Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

Rich with symbolism, this work interprets a legend in which a dragon princess transforms herself into a woman who lives on the Island of KoTlok. When an Indian prince sails by, following the monsoon winds, they fall in love and create the society that would become the Khmer (Cambodian) Empire. Leang includes both Hindu and Buddhist symbols, as both religions became deeply embedded in Khmer society, alongside Cambodia’s pre-existing belief system. The Mekong River is central to these stories as it is believed to be the mother of life that gave birth to the humans and the naga (the diving dragon or serpent), and remains the symbol of the beginning of Cambodian culture.

Exhibited in 'The 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' (APT8) | 21 Nov 2015 – 10 Apr 2016