French archaeologist Maurice Glaize, conservator of the ancient temples of Angkor between 1937 and 1945, once wrote of the gigantic grinning visages at Bayon: “Wherever one wanders, the faces of Lokesvara follow and dominate with their multiple presence.”
The enigmatic smile etched onto endless facades across the crumbling complex has the same bewitching quality as that of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Much has been written about who may have served as the model for the carved faces, some of which bear more than a hint of resemblance to 12th century Khmer king Jayavarman VII in the guise of Avalokitesvara, the great bodhisattva (enlightened being) in Buddhist lore who embodies the compassion inherent to all Buddhas.
To this day, it is a face many Cambodians turn to when confronted with the quest for national identity. And it’s a face 40 artists are about to brand with their own interpretation of precisely what that identity should be.
The Cambodia Mask Project, the end results of which will be given their public unveiling later this month, is a collaborative endeavour uniting Cambodian artists, old and new, with colleagues from across the globe, each tasked to interpret the same 60cm x 60cm papier mache face in their own way. Billed as an ‘exploration of the concepts of identity, role and history – past, present and future – in Cambodian society’, it’s a contest without limitations: the artists have been given complete freedom to chisel, spray, or otherwise decorate as they see fit.
“Masks have a distinct connection with Cambodia,” says project coordinator Steinunn Jakobsdóttir. “You see these faces everywhere, often on religious masks. The idea was to try to capture Cambodia’s identity through the use of masks, without making it religious. It’s a fun format for the artists to work with, because there are so many little details in the mask. They can build on it, they can add to it – absolutely 100% freedom of expression.
“We have 40 artists – a very good mix, both local and international, but mostly Cambodians. I started contacting artists in January, and with each artist I spoke to, I got introduced to another one and another one. It was a kind of snowball effect. There was so much interest and excitement. We have sculptors, street artists such as Peap Tarr and Lisa Mam, and painter Bo Rithy, a very exciting artist from Battambang. Among the internationals we have French street artist Julien ‘Seth’ Malland, an illustrator from Australia, and a photographer from the US.”
As with so many things, there’s more to the project than what appears at face value. During the exhibition, on June 3, a silent auction will be held to raise funds to support artists in a country where very few are able to make a living through art alone.
WHO: 40 local and international artists
WHAT: The Cambodian Mask Project
WHERE: The Plantation Hotel, #28 St. 184
WHEN: May 24 – June 23 (auction May 24 – June 3)
WHY: Witness the new Cambodia being unmasked