After three weeks of gallery openings, exhibitions and earnest heart-to-hearts with artists in New York City, Than Sok decided to become a monk. Understandable really: the Big Apple’s art scene can be tiring even in its quieter moments, and for Khmer artists this year’s Season Of Cambodia festival was not one of the quiet times. In the midst of his residency at Governor’s Island, 29-year-old installation artist Than joined Wat Samakiram in Brooklyn for two weeks, shaving his head, donning saffron and leaving the art studio far behind.
At least Than thought he swapped the studio for the spiritual life, but a true artist rarely makes a clean getaway. No sooner had he divested himself of his worldly goods and chattels than well-wishers from Brooklyn’s laity presented Than with alms meant to meet his basic needs once he’d done his two weeks of Wat time. Soft furnishings, soap, toothpaste, deodorant (cleanliness is next to Godliness, after all), clothing, cashmoney and other gifts came into Than’s hands from his newfound congregation.
These offerings make up Than’s third solo exhibition, Promotion, on show at Sa Sa Bassac until October 19. Exploring the dark art of gift-giving, the show draws explicit parallels between Than’s time as a monk in New York and his experiences during Cambodia’s recent national elections, during which period the artist also received gifts, this time from party ‘volunteers’. What, wondered Than, was the intent behind all this apparent goodwill and gifting?
“The gifts from political parties and the gifts from the United States [laypeople] are not different,” explains Sa Sa Bassac Project Manager Chum Chanveasna, speaking on behalf of Than. “Everyone wants to receive something back. The gifts from political parties are to promote those parties and [ask] people to vote for them; the gifts to monks are to promote belief in religion. People offer these gifts to ask for happiness during the present and next life.”
The notion of promotion – of an ideology, of a personal petition, even of oneself – informs Than’s exhibition. The objects from New York and Phnom Penh are arrayed on shelves beside watercolours of their likenesses: the doubling up of object and image is, according to Chum, a nod to the promotion of advertising. “The drawing can be marketing, like a banner or flyer to promote the objects displayed on shelves for sale.” Thus the “gifts” become revealed as a currency of exchange: to give is to receive, and all givers give with one hand and expect to take with the other, Than conjectures.
Promotion follows on from Than’s previous work, much of which is concerned with the rituals and behaviours surrounding belief systems. Working across sculpture, installation, video and performance, the Takeo-born artist is drawn to examine religion and ritual because “religion walks along with events and activities of people, and it shows that people have always been connected with religion,” says Chum.
Connected with religion and ritual they may be, but neither priests nor politicos are above buying preference on occasion. It’s this base side of philanthropy which Promotion explores; after all, you don’t need to join holy orders to know that, for some people at least, to give is to receive..
WHO: Than Sok
WHAT: Promotion exhibition
WHERE: Sa Sa Bassac Gallery, #18 Sothearos Blvd.
WHEN: Until October 19
WHY: “Religion walks along with events and activities of people, and it shows that people have always been connected with religion”