For Kim
Hak, Banyan tree leaves are not only the subject of his
work, but also the canvas on which he creates his work. He
says, "This artwork, it links to my life. Everywhere I have
been, I have been always looking [to] find Buddha's leaves."
The leaves represent the path his life's journey has taken;
each leaf coming from a specific location he has traveled to
within Southeast Asia, including: Siem Reap, Battambang, Koh
Kong, and Phnom Penh in Cambodia, as well as Myanmar,
Thailand, and Vietnam.
He began collecting Banyan tree leaves many years ago when
he was at Angkor Wat. One day his colleague said,
"Somewhere, there is one leaf on one bodhi tree which has
the image of the Buddha on it." He realized his friend was
only joking, but he began to imagine making this idea come
true. Soon, he found himself painting images of the Buddha
in gold on his dried and pressed leaves. He felt suddenly
peaceful as he focused on the details and the lines,
infusing the images with a deep personal reverence.
Banyan (or Bodhi) trees, found all over Southeast Asia, are
famous in Cambodia for their pervasive presence in the
Angkor Wat temple complex. This tree has both historical and
practical significance to Buddhists throughout the region.
After attaining enlightenment the Buddha is believed to have
sat under a banyan tree for seven days, absorbed in his
newfound understanding. These trees are also used for
practical purposes, serving as communal meeting places to
gather in the shade, relax, discuss issues and make
decisions. The name banyan is derived from merchants called
Banias, who originally rested under the tree to discuss
their strategies.
Though Kim Hak's artwork is filled with Buddhist imagery he
insists that he is not making religious art. He says even
though the drawings are centered around the environment of
Buddhism, the "meanings themselves focus mainly on general
daily life; of people studying, family, love of parents for
the children and so on." He is using the visual vocabulary
of Buddhism to create his own metaphors about daily
occurrences in Cambodia. The simple titles often do not
correspond to what we believe the image is meant to
symbolize, making us stop to think about the new
associations he is making to traditional imagery. He says,
"The lotus is a Buddhist symbol, but here the meaning behind
the piece is not about Buddhism, it is more about human
life."
Biography
Kim Hak was born in 1981 to a family of rice farmers in
Battambang. He lives in Phnom Penh and currently works for
Asian Trails Cambodia. Kim Hak is a not formally trained
artist, but has instead relied on self-discipline and
inspiration from other artists and the traditions of Angkor.
With the support of:
The Albert Kunstadter Family Foundation – The Rockefeller Foundation -
The Prince
Claus Fund
|