Memory of Smoke

TOPAZ ARTS presents
“Memory of Smoke” — a solo exhibition of new work by Cambodian Artist Bandaul Srey,
a 2011 Asian Cultural Council Grantee & LMCC Artist-in-Residence

accompanied by drawings & photographs from the
Global Children’s Art Programme/Timothy Lomas
project at Phare Ponleu Selpak, Battambang, Cambodia

on view from December 1, 2011 to January 15, 2012 – Extended to March 3rd!
Gallery hours are by appointment
directions to TOPAZ ARTS >

TOPAZ ARTS welcomes Cambodian artist Bandaul Srey and is pleased to present his new series of work “Memory of Smoke” – a solo exhibition of smoke on paper. On view from December 1, 2011 to January 15, 2012 – extended to March.

“Memory of Smoke” is a new series of works on paper by Cambodian artist Bandaul Srey. Developing a technique of applying smoke on paper by using actual smoke from an oil lamp, Srey transfers personal memory in creating an art form that conveys human experience. The powerful image of smoke impacts people in many different ways. For Srey, who initially studied art at Site Two Camp on the Thailand border and whose artwork references his experience of war in context of modern-day Cambodia, explains, “Clouds of smoke can remind us of good or bad memories, for me smoke has bad memories. When I was a child I remember the bombs, their smoke, the sounds — these images are still fixed in my mind. I use the strong power of smoke in my memory to relate my life experience through drawing with smoke on paper.”  
As an artist, Srey communicates these memories, creating visceral images that allow viewers to explore their own experiences with smoke. Srey is a 2011 Asian Cultural Council Starr Foundation Visual Arts Fellow and current artist-in-residence at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s studios at Governors Island.

The exhibition will be accompanied by drawings from Global Children’s Art Programme and photographs by Timothy Lomas – a project that took place at Phare Ponleu Selpak, where Bandaul Srey is Professor and Director of the Visual Arts School, a community-based school for music, visual arts, and performing arts he helped found in his hometown in Battambang Province, Cambodia.

Read about Battambang, Cambodia in the New York Times Travel section >
where artist Srey Bandaul is from and his school Phare Ponleu Selpak

About the Artist:
Srey Bandaul, is a Cambodian artist working in drawing, sculpture and painting. He is a Professor and the Director of the Visual Arts School at Phare Ponleu Selpak, a community-based school for music, visual arts, and performing arts he helped found in his hometown in Battambang Province. A current Asian Cultural Council Starr Foundation Visual Arts Fellow, Bandaul is currently an artist in residence at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s studios on Governors Island as well as conducting research about the development of contemporary art and the educational framework and art school management in the US. As an artist, Bandaul started to exhibit his works in 1998 at Reyum Gallery in Phnom Penh Cambodia. Since 2000, he has exhibited in many places around Cambodia and published two books, Looking at Angkor and The Land of the Elephants. He has also exhibited internationally, including Norway, the Philippines, Thailand, New York, Australia, and Singapore. During his residency in New York City, Bandaul will research and collect new information and ideas for developing his art school in Battambang and art community in Cambodia. His artwork will focus on a series of paintings made from smoke, and sculptures made from aluminum cans, talking about his experience of war and the modern world of Cambodia.

Global Children’s Art Programme is a non-profit organization whose mission is to nurture and facilitate creativity and cultural exchange between youth of different countries. GCAP donates art supplies and instruction to underserved communities. Timothy Lomas, Co-Founder and Creative Director of GCAP, has worked with schools and organizations in Thailand, Cambodia, and Turkey. He has headed numerous projects with the Global Children’s Art Programme’s philanthropic and humanitarian experience. A NYC artist and certified art educator, his works include sculpture and painting, photography, graphic design, digital photography and ceramics. This is his third project with Bandaul Srey and the students of Phare Ponleu Selpak.  www.globalchildrensartprogramme.org

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