… where I’ll be this Saturday. 


For Immediate Release
Transformation II

April 10 –
May 3, 2009

Artists Reception: Saturday April 11, 6-9 pm

2nd City Council Art Gallery + Performance Space
435 Alamitos Avenue Long Beach, CA 90802


Second City Council Art Gallery & Performance Space is please to host Transformations II, an exhibition featuring Cambodian and US-based artists.

A “Transformations I” exhibition was originally presented at the Meta House Gallery in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, during July-August, 2008. The exhibition was a collaboration of five Los Angeles-based artists and five Cambodian artists, most of whom had never been to each other’s country. The opening of the “Transformations I” exhibition stirred a good deal of interest and brought many previously unknown and very fine Cambodian artists to the attention of the show’s curators.

The revised “Transformations II” exhibition to be presented at the Second City Council Art Gallery will include many of the Cambodian artists who were not known at the time when the “Transformations I” exhibition was in development, and well as the Los Angeles-based artists who were a part of the previous exhibition.

“Transformations II” will have particular relevance and importance being exhibited in Long Beach, wherein exists the largest Cambodian population outside of Cambodia. It will help bring an awareness to the Cambodian community (and all others) of the great wealth of artistic talent that exists in their native land, and will provide a forum for cross-cultural exchange between the artists of the two nations. There will also be screenings of documentaries of public art projects in Cambodia, a writers’ forum, and book signing events concurrent with the exhibition. What better time to do this than at the joyful celebration of the Khmer New Year?

The artists featured in the show have studied at California State University Long Beach, the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, the Chicago Art Institute, the Art Center of Design, Claremont Graduate University, and Brown University, among others.

For further information please contact Denise A. Scott (562) 439-1784 or Sayon Syprasoeuth (949) 735-2926

2nd City Council Art Gallery & Performance Space 435 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802  USA.
(562) 901-0997 www.2ndcitycouncil.org  We are having two receptions:
One for visual arts and the other for film/documentary and book signing.
2nd City Art Gallery+Performance 435 Alamitos Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802
Exhibition: April 10-May3, 2009
Opening Reception: Saturday April 11th 6-9pm
2nd Reception: Friday April 24th 6-9pm 


From 'What's On': Tags: ,,,,

Cambodian Art

WED, 08/04, 7 PM
Through historical frameworks and personal anecdotes, Phnom Penh based curator Erin Gleeson will explore the lack of place, until now, for contemporary art practices in and from Cambodia. Gleeson will trace her curatorial concept as well as the audience and press response to Forever Until Now, an exhibition by 14 Cambodian artists, hosted by Hong Kong gallery “10 Chancery Lane” from February through April 2009.  Documentation of the artworks and installation will accompany the talk and a moderated Q+A session with selected artists will follow.

——————–
META HOUSE
Street 264, #6 – Sangkat Chaktomuk, Khan Daun Penh,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
Fixed +855- (0)23 – 224 140, Mobil +855- (0) 12- 607 465
Homepage:
www.meta-house.com,
email:
mesterharm@gmx.net

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Chi Kreung Siem Reap Screen Shots

Chi Kreung Siem Reap Screen Shots

Human rights advocates recently marked the 10 year anniversary of a grenade attack against opposition MP Sam Rainsy.  All over the newspapers.

Do foreigners and politicians have to get injured to warrant this degree of attention? There is plenty of violence to be concerned about in Cambodia,  leveled at ordinary people who just happen to live outside of Phnom Penh.

March 27, 2009 – LICADHO today called upon the Royal Cambodian Government to take urgent action in response to the unjustified violence by authorities against villagers involved in a land dispute in Chi Kreng district of Siem Reap province last weekend.

Four villagers were wounded when members of a joint force – including police, military police, border police and soldiers – opened fire on a crowd of farmers in Anlong Samnor commune on Sunday, March 22.

http://hub.witness.org/en/upload/shooting-chi-kreng-siem-reap-v2
Press Release

And if those tanks would just chill out too, that would be great.
http://www.licadho-cambodia.org/articles/20090402/92/index.html

Tags:land rights,activism,cambodia,khmer

(Above: ‘Independence Day’ / V-Day remix.)

This is the second time that ‘The Vagina Monologues‘ have been produced in Phnom Penh. The first time out, it sounded like an NGO workshop: by foreign women, in a foreign space, for a foreign audience. I gave it a miss.

And I was a little skeptical as things got moving for this second staging, the production came together quite well. This time around, the crew brought the show back to its roots as theatre, and did a great job with publicity and marketing, raising money for ‘Women Peacemakers’.

Last night’s opening was great fun and included The Messenger Band as openers. And it was a pleasant surprise to see so many women I knew assisting with the presentation – or onstage.  Go team!

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009040325182/Life-Style/The-Vagina-Monologues-to-open-at-Khmer-Surin-theatre.html

I view this much like a Phnom Penh Players production: primarily expat-produced, for an English-speaking audience, but sharing its profits and enthusiasm with the local community.

I think for the next showing, more ways will be explored to tell local stories, as per the ‘Monaco Option’.  (If the establishment saw fit to criticize the recent opera, you can only imagine what they might think of a full Khmer-language production of such an explicit show.)

Cambodia has made great strides to combat HIV, which meant a lot more open dialogue about sex. It wouldn’t be too far a reach to extend dialogue further, regarding the issue of violence against women.

All told, a provocative and worthwhile evening.

Tickets: (Foreign $12, Cambodians $6) can be purchased at Java Café, Rubies and Khmer Surin. Remaining performances Saturday and Sunday at 7:30pm at Khmer Surin (South Gate).

Project Blog: http://www.cambodianmonologues.blogspot.com/
What’s On Listing: http://www.sangsalapak.org.kh/whatson/2009/04/vagina-monologues-in-cambodia.html
The Global V-Day Movement: http://www.vday.org

Tags:theatre,activism,cambodia,khmer,v-day,vday

Photo Wednesday….

Chicks Dig It

“Chicks Dig It” – spotted on Norodom Boulevard, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Via cameraphone.

Tags: cambodia,t-shirt,slogans,motorcycle

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