Lines & Lost Lines/ Siem Reap Cambodia
LINES & LOST LINES
Kong Vollak, Ali Sanderson, Tanja Wessels and Panca Evenblij
The exhibition
Three artists each with vastly different backgrounds, with their own stories and memories, work together merging diverse ideas, concepts and mediums to create a dynamic exhibition. For the artist themselves it is a precious opportunity to exhibit their work alongside other contemporary artists addressing themes which exemplify the contrast between the influences and effects each artists own country has on their artwork.
The idea is to find parallels or a universal language where the works relate to each other or, on the other hand, fight against each other. discuss and discover more about the work of the contemporary artists working in modern day Cambodia.The exhibition at the Arts Lounge will see artists profiling innovative approaches in contemporary art using various media and techniques, together creating an exciting art environment for visitors to view and interact. The exhibition comprises a mix of new work with artists responding to each other and their environment to create paintings, drawings, videos and installations. Four artists from across the world sharing one space.
Throughout the exhibition artists work ‘in residence’, challenging each other, working together, and making space to create their own work. They will find new references to interpret the relation between their works and the experiences of living and working in Cambodia.
The artists work in mediums including painting, drawing, installation and video. The majority of the work is produced on location, in their temporary studio, with inspiration gleaned in direct response to the location itself. The work is displayed and installed throughout the given time, making it an inspiring yet fluid exhibition.
The presence of artists in the Arts Lounge will provide an unique opportunity for the general public and those interested in art to engage with the exhibiting artists, in the context of their working environments. It will provide the opportunity to take a peek behind the scenes, and view works in progress .
Artist statement Panca Evenblij
Inviting three other artists to exhibit alongside her, she entitled the show Lines & Lost Lines. Following the dictum she gave to the exhibiting artists in Anon, in Lines & Lost Lines Evenblij made boundless installation drawings using every material on hand – from tape to a kilometre of dental floss – except a pen or brush. In addition to the frantically-free and experimental paintings of Albert Oehlen, Evenblij has cited the installation paintings of Katharina Grosse and Sarah Sze as points of reference for her own installation works. Where the works of Grosse slide or perambulate along surfaces, and the creations of Sze kaleidoscope through space, Evenblij’s own journey through the boundaries of space and medium conveys a gripping determination to penetrate or break through her surroundings, a single-mindedness that seeks not horizontal expansion, but vertical depth.
“Panca, the originator of the idea of Lines and Lost Lines, works within a constructed environment, like a hotel, and transforms it into a surrealistic artistic process. The viewer experiences a feeling of conflict and frustration wanting to create order- smoothing over the stickers, cleaning up the paint- all the while held back by preconceived notions.
Order and chaos, destruction and creation- the universal struggle that keeps us in perceptual evolution comes together through intersecting lines in Panca’s work that appeals to our deepest need as human beings- that is to control our surroundings.’
The Arts Lounge, Hotel de la Paix, Siem Reap, Cambodia 2007