“Masters” production footage — MATTHEW BOGOSIAN
International living treasures —vital safeguards of an ancient national heritage through the devastation of genocide. As envisioned by Arn Chorn-Pond: a nationwide portrait installation on iconic billboards to stand as triumphant monuments to Cambodia’s post-war rebirth through the arts. A beacon to the world.
An initiative responsible for the founding of The Vanderbilt Republic in 2008, this gift to Cambodian Living Arts is intended to serve the Cambodian cultural renaissance, and the incredible people responsible for it.
Phase One (2009), focused on the creation of a new photographic iconography by George Del Barrio. Purposeful, iconic portraiture of the souls at the heart of Cambodia’s cultural renaissance could establish a lasting document to serve as touchstone for current and future imaginations everywhere.
Photo/cine production funding was sourced through Kickstarter with matching funds from the Fresh Sound Foundation. This landmark crowdfunding success introduced a new energy to this universally-relevant story of cultural rebirth.
Clockwise from top left — Dwayne Shaw, Matthew Bogosian, George Del Barrio & Mauricio Quintero c.2009
With the assistance of Mauricio Quintero and key advisory/ translation/ cultural ambassadorship by Arn Chorn-Pond, a large-format portrait archive of CLA’s masters was created by George Del Barrio. In parallel, interviews with a broad selection of the portrait subjects were directed by Dwayne Shaw × Jonathan Wolff. Executive production by Matthew Bogosian for both nationwide teams with the assistance of esteemed colleagues Sarin Chhuon, Sambor Om, Pov Punisa & Chap Vithur.
Phase Two (2013) was a monthlong cultural festival in the Brooklyn way to celebrate the Season of Cambodia, an historic city-wide celebration of Cambodian arts and humanities staged in venues throughout New York City.
The Forward Festival (2013) was designed by The Vanderbilt Republic × Khmerican to champion Cambodian culture at Gowanus Loft with a monthlong program of immersive experiences.
Produced in collaboration with by K2imaging, Higherself, Root [post], Drumscanning.com, Decades Out, Gowanus Girls & Gowanus Print Lab, Forward culminated in the first reveal of the Masters portraits as life-sized c-prints with the first Photographic Monument as birthday fundraiser for the Khmer Magic Music Bus.
CHAOS COOKING CAMBODIA
CO-PRODUCED BY GOWANUS GIRLS
11 APRIL 2013
Theda Jackson Mau, DJMR. + The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club
Chaos Cooking Cambodia at Gowanus Loft — if heaven had a potluck…
The spontaneous 100-course meal returns to kick off the Forward Festival! Be inspired by Asian/international cultures when selecting your dish, or go for it and cook Cambodian! Think globally, cook what you like! Registration is $20 and includes a glass of rice wine + surprises! Everyone must cook a dish to share (& bring a bottle of wine to pour). It’s BYO everything: utensils, pots, pans, ingredients, sense of adventure!
Photographs by Jazzmine Beaulieu
From 1975-1979 the Khmer Rouge enslaved, tortured and killed over 1.7 million Cambodians in one of the most lethal regimes in history. During these brutal years, Pol Pot and his totalitarian party attempted to eradicate Cambodia’s rich culture through massive forced relocations and the systematic persecution of artists, intellectuals and teachers — any voice of dissent.
The Khmer Rouge had a saying: “To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss.”
The ‘I Am Peace’ Day of Remembrance is a candlelight vigil, dharma talk + open mic to honor the departed through creative self-expression. Admission is free, registration required. Limit: 100.
Encircling this evening of teaching, speaking & healing will be an installation of crowd-sourced names to offer for remembrance, inscribed on the columns of the Gowanus Loft project space. All are invited to participate.
7p — doors open, wine + tea service (shoes off)
8p — Venerable Thor Bunthoeun + Venerable Oung Bunsim, blessings
9p — Hector Marcel, forgiveness dharma talk
10p — I Am Peace open mic hosted by Phatry Derek Pan
Photographs by Jazzmine Beaulieu
CAMBODIAN MODERN ARTS FESTIVAL
CURATED BY PETE PIN
20 APRIL 2013
Bochan, JL Jupiter, Michelle Kim, Thavary Krouch,
Peter Pa, Pete Pin, LinDa Saphan, Seoun Som, Roy Suon + Kham Tor
There has been a paucity of reflection within our community about the legacy of the Killing Fields. Many of us learned about the genocide from the internet and documentary films; generational traumas often make conversations non-existent at home. For others, a language barrier exacerbates the silence — many in the diaspora cannot speak Khmer. We are the literal manifestation of Pol Pot’s attempt to erase Cambodian culture.
In spite of this, there’s a growing movement of empowered young Cambodians who use media and art to explore their cultural identity, political/historical circumstances, and experience. We carry the dual responsibility of decoding complex personal histories while contributing to the narrative of a people just one generation from the horrors of genocide. I am convinced that justice and healing must emerge first and foremost from the collective will of the people.
The arts are a testament to this, to the continued vitality of the Cambodian people, to the fact that Pol Pot failed to destroy us, and that in spite of the seemingly insurmountable difficulties of rebuilding, we cannot and will not be silenced.
PETE PIN CURATOR
Photographs by Jazzmine Beaulieu
![drumscanning.com 4000dpi Drum Scans ROOT [post] Color Grading & Digital-C Output Supervision Printspace 30” x 40” Digital-C Prints K2 IMAGING x AARON HARROW Photographic Monument GOWANUS PRINT LAB Silkscreen Tees Imagine 90% of your culture’s…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd09c77ab1a6214f032e87e/1560537484862-D3U5ZT5Q45WOV0FRE8D6/fwd-masters-2014.jpg)
drumscanning.com 4000dpi Drum Scans
ROOT [post] Color Grading & Digital-C Output Supervision
Printspace 30” x 40” Digital-C Prints
K2 IMAGING x AARON HARROW Photographic Monument
GOWANUS PRINT LAB Silkscreen Tees
Imagine 90% of your culture’s artists, exterminated… Consider the significance of the 10% that remain.
From 1975-1979 the Khmer Rouge killed 1.7 million Cambodians in an all-out assault on culture; artists were prime targets.
“Masters” are the surviving cultural protectors, and it is my profound honor to introduce them to you.
GEORGE DEL BARRIO PHOTOGRAPHER
Photographs by Jazzmine Beaulieu
“MASTERS” / CLOSING
A FUNDRAISER TO LAUNCH THE KHMER MAGIC MUSIC BUS
4 MAY 2013
Arn Chorn-Pond + Seyma Waterek, Aaron Harrow, Jonathan Schnapp
An evening of BBQ, open bar, epic spectacle and intimate performance with all proceeds to support the creation of The Khmer Magic Music Bus.
EXHIBITION VIEWING + OPEN BAR 4p
PERFORMANCES BY ARN-CHORN-POND & SEYMA WATEREK 6 & 7.30p
DJMR. + JONATHAN’S BBQ + PHOTOGRAPHIC MONUMENT 9p
Video by Athena Azevedo