A flock of white-beaked wading birds stretch their long, lithe necks toward the sky like wisps of smoke escaping a fire. Bodies entwine like rivulets of water in a bubbling stream; looping back in on themselves in rich, colour-soaked circles. “We are born free, and everywhere in chains. We are animals in zoos behind bars, we are women and men locked away in our factories and offices. The only difference between animal and human is the hand, which can wave, caress, paint; but also build barriers, construct fences and turn locks. Still, the eyes of humans, eyes of birds, eyes of beasts, all twinkle with the desire for liberty.” In Chhan Dina’s newly extended exhibition Cages Torn Open: Further And Freer, this Cambodian painter/sculptor reminds us of what we share with other living beings and what we forget and deny. Her paintings explode with colour, a confident assertion of the shared liberation theme. Bringing together large clay sculptures and vivid oil paintings, paint, line and colour blur the distinctions between species, all swimming in the same soup; in fired clay, disparate characteristics are fused into one body. “Faces shine at us, even when grotesque. Open hands reach towards us, into us, prompting a reflection on the nature of humanity: a word we use to describe both our highest ideals and our inevitable imperfections. Are we feeding the animals? Warding off danger? Asking for forgiveness? Giving a warning? Offering a helping hand? These hands are tearing open the cages that keep us from embracing all living things.”
WHO: Chhan Dina
WHAT: Cages Torn Open: Further And Freer art exhibition opening
WHERE: Insider Gallery @ The Intercontinental Hotel, Mao Tse Tung Blvd.
WHEN: 6pm August 7 until September 8
WHY: We are all born free