Dinh Q. Lê | Cambodia Reamker | Viewing Room
Dinh Q Lê, Cambodia Reamker #29, 2022, Epson inkjet print on Epson double weight matte paper, acid free double sided tape and PH-neutral linen book tape, 65 x 86.5" unframed
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Elizabeth Leach Gallery is pleased to present Cambodia Reamker by Dinh Q. Lê featuring new photographic weavings that depict the Reamker, Cambodia’s version of the Ramayana, interwoven with portraits of prisoners from the Khmer Rouge’s notorious prison, Tuol Sleng.
Installation view of the exhibition, Cambodia Reamker.
Born in Ha Tien, a border town between Vietnam and Cambodia, Lê has long been interested in Cambodia’s recent history. In 1978, when the Khmer Rouge invaded and massacred many residents of Ha Tien, the artist’s family was forced to flee, first to Thailand and then finally to the United States. For many years, the artist has worked with the portraits of people who were tortured and killed by the Khmer Rouge. Dissatisfied with how these portraits depict the imprisoned individuals—at their worst and last moments—Lê’s artworks offer an alternative narrative drawn from Cambodia’s rich history.
Dinh Q. Lê, Cambodia Reamker #24, 2022, Epson inkjet print on Epson double weight matte paper, acid free double sided tape and PH-neutral linen book tape, 65 x 86.5" unframed
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Dinh Q Lê, Cambodia Reamker #20, 2022 (installation view), Epson inkjet print on Epson double weight matte paper, acid free double sided tape and PH-neutral linen book tape, 64.5 x 43.5" unframed, INQUIRE>
Detail image of Cambodia Reamker #20, 2022.
Photo: Marcin Konsek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59193915
ABOVE: Detail image of the Reamker fresco paintings (1903-1904) in the Silver Pagoda at the Cambodian Royal Palace in Phnom Penh.
To make these weavings, the artist starts with his own photographs of the elaborate murals at the Cambodian Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. Depicted in these paintings is the Reamker, Cambodia’s interpretation of the Sanskrit Ramayana, an epic poem about the balance between good and evil. Though now deteriorating, these beautiful murals illustrate the rich culture of Cambodia, a once-dominant empire in Southeast Asia.
Intertwined with scenes from the murals are close-cropped portraits of prisoners from Tuol Sleng. Though Lê has worked with this subject matter before, he has removed all visual reference to them as prisoners so that the viewers can relate to the subjects as individuals whose lives embodied more than their victimhood.
Dinh Q Lê, Cambodia Reamker #19, 2022, Epson inkjet print on Epson double weight matte paper, acid free double sided tape and PH-neutral linen book tape, 65 x 86.5" unframed
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The result for Lê is a new body of work that physically interlaces these two narratives from the past—the rich cultural legacy of the Cambodian empire and the more recent, tragic history of the Khmer Rouge—in a way that is evocative of the Reamker itself, a metaphorical tale of the complex push-pull between good and evil in the world.
Learn more about how the Cambodian genocide influences Lê’s work in this 2021 video interview with the artist and Curator Rory Padeken
Installation view of the exhibition, Cambodia Reamker.
Dinh Q Lê, Cambodia Reamker #35, 2022-23, Epson inkjet print on Epson double weight matte paper, acid free double sided tape and PH-neutral linen book tape, 65 x 86.5" unframed
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REVISITING MONUMENTS AND MEMORIALS, 2021
Dinh Q Lê, Monuments and Memorials 9, 2021, c-prints and linen tape, 43 x 64.5" unframed, 49.5 x 71" framed, INQUIRE>
Installation view of the exhibition, Monuments and Memorials.
In 2021, Elizabeth Leach Gallery exhibited Monuments and Memorials by Dinh Q. Lê, featuring photographic weavings that reflect on collective memory and architectural commemoration. The artworks combine interior and exterior pictures of Cambodian sites and pair the seemingly unresolvable, competing narratives of a country’s past and present.
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Dinh Q. Lê working in his studio. Image provided by the artist.
That his photography-based works could be experienced in different ways—as sculptures, videos, and
tapestries—is indicative of Lê’s use of photography. He uses it less as a means unto itself and more as a
resource, “a matter to be transformed.” Zooming in and out, the audience put themselves into the position
of the artist, occupying a space between the United States and Vietnam, between the imaginary and
reality, constantly meditating between varying perspectives of history.
– JULIA TANSKI, "Dinh Q. Lê's 'The Thread of Memory and Other Photographs,” Art Asia Pacific, June 9, 2022
Detail image of Cambodia Reamker #29, 2022 by Dinh Q. Lê.
Hear more about the making of Cambodia Reamker in this exclusive video interview with Dinh Q. Lê
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Dinh Q. Lê
