Touch KHCHAO | sculptor and painter | darrenswallow72@gmail.com
Touch is very much aware about environment issues in Cambodia. Her sculptures are made of paper tissues to raise awareness to Cambodian people who toss away paper in nature. Touch was part of the Selapak Neari program. She has exhibited in very prestigious venues in Cambodia such as the Department of Plastic Arts of the Ministry of Culture and have received very a positive successful response from the public and the media. She did an exhibition in the Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap and the French Cultural Center in Phnom Penh.
Artist Statement:
Nature is the creator of everything. She is the unappreciated mother who gave us life. She surrounds us in her embrace and she smiles on us and with us. With this series of paintings I hope to convey the feeling of love and happiness that I get when I see a flower, a forest, a falling leaf or lovebirds building a nest together.
Living Nature has the power to transform. I drew my mother in some of the paintings. She was very sad for most of her life and I hardly ever saw her smile. I want her to smile now, everyday, happy forever with the living nature.
These are the feelings that I want to communicate, love and happiness through communion with the living nature that is all around us. Nature could teach us many things if we would only take the time and learn how to listen to her.
Exhibitions
2010
September 21-October 10 “9 faces” group exhibition curated by Darren Swallow at Meta House, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
2009
February-April, “Care” at Art Cafe, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
February-March, “Living Nature”, Art Lounge of Hotel de la Paix, Siem Reap, Cambodia
2008
April, “Nature” at French Cultural Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
2007
November, “Mean Rup Mean Tuk”, Group exhibition, Ministry of Cultutre, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
17 artists exhibiting at the department of plastic arts of the ministry of culture. 5 Khmer artists and 12 international artists coming together to produce a series of works on the theme : with a body comes suffering. The crowd was overwhelming but the greatest success story is not about the sale, not about the many hundred people but about the khmer artists who exhibited the first time their works.
Previous group exhibitions at Comme A La Maison (Cambodia) and with TOR Vutha at Fenetre Sur Rue, Bordeaux, France.