Influence

by Srun Rida

Exhibition opening: Wednesday, 10 July 2019, 6:00-8:00pm

Exhibition period: 10 July - 11 September 2019

This exhibition is supported by Rei Foundation

Srun Rida’s practice is both a processing of memories and a documenting of what happens in the past and now. In his new work presented in this exhibition, Influence (2019), he continues his practice by observing the daily life in Cambodia. He became interested in objects and how people use them in everyday life. Influence is his critical questioning on the impact of the city development, economically and culturally, in which he translates into colorful paintings, abstract gestures on woodcut prints, and drawings on wood.

Influence is a new turn from Rida’s previous work Remember (2017) in which the artist explores the memories of pre-war and war in Cambodia as told to him by his family members. Objects, clothes, and buildings are rendered in black-and-white textured prints as each with a unique story and symbolic meaning. Rida created visual images to document those stories and honour those who have survived. In this exhibition, his series of prints explores the current memory of buildings inside the city that have been traded for new development. During five years that he has been living in Phnom Penh, he has observed many changes, especially in housings, which are related to the economic development and the flow of foreign cultures. If we look at the Cambodian economy, most of the investors are Chinese. We can notice by the entrance gates decorated with red lanterns (as a symbol of identity) and other objects that are associated with culture and faith. Generally, regardless of ethnicity, like relocation, they always bring with them their cultures, traditions, and contexts of their lives that we can identify through these objects.

In the gallery space of Sa Sa Art Projects, the exhibition features 13 artworks which include a series of colorful watercolor paintings depicting of what we often see in our daily life. These objects have become part of our culture and some people follow without wondering or questioning. As a simple example, he observed that most of the high buildings and houses have red lanterns in front of the entrance gates or doors. Does it mean they are all Chinese? In his woodcut print series are compositions of woodblock prints presented in abstract grids; it shows colors, noise, and ferment of life in the development era that continues into the future. Last but not least is a series of the green net that he works with woodcut prints and drawings on wood. The artist wants to show the development in the city and the green net has become an identity of unlimited development.