Khmer Artist Leang Seckon art exhibition in London this June

			27 JUNE–25 JULY 2014 Hours: Mon.–Sat., 10AM–6PM PRIVATE VIEW: 26 JUNE 2014, 6–8PM Asia House 63 New Cavendish Street LONDON W1G 7LP Rossi & Rossi is pleased to announce Hell on Earth, contemporary Cambodian artist Leang Seckon’s second solo show with the gallery. The exhibition, held at Asia House, London, features a body of recent paintings, collages and video works by the artist. Seckon grew up during the devastating period of Khmer Rouge rule, witnessing firsthand the government-enforced policies that led to famine and disease, as well as state executions. He describes this period as “hell on earth”, when the haunting prophecies found in a set of popular nineteenth-century Buddhist texts, the Buddh Damnay, were realized: “war will break out on all sides…blood will flow up to the bellies of elephants; there will be houses with no people in them, roads upon which no-one travels; there will be rice but nothing to eat”. The prophecies provided Cambodians with an explanation for the violence and destruction of the Khmer Rouge, placing the period within the cyclical pattern of Buddhist history. The artist’s collages and paintings are intimate narratives of his memories from the period and the civil war that followed. The process of creating artworks simultaneously allows him to experience and express the freedom that was denied to him as a youth. However, Seckon’s work also acts as a warning: like the Buddh Damnay, it cautions against corruption and the destruction of the environment, drawing parallels between Cambodia’s present and its past. The artist will be visiting London from 22 to 29 June, during which time he will be available for interviews. Please contact the gallery to arrange a time to speak with him. A fully illustrated catalogue with an essay by renowned curator Jens Hoffmann accompanies the exhibition. Image: Leang Seckon, The Elephant and the Pond of Blood, 2013, mixed media and collage on canvas, 200 x 150 cm (79 x 59 in).
			SATURDAY 28 JUNE 2014, 2PM Asia House 63 New Cavendish Street LONDON W1G 7LP To coincide with Hell on Earth, an exhibition of works by Cambodian artist Leang Seckon, Rossi & Rossi is hosting a talk between the artist and Dr. Peter Sharrock of the Department of History of Art and Archaeology, SOAS, at Asia House. The event it free to attend. Please email info@rossirossi.com to reserve seats. Leang Seckon grew up during the devastating period of Khmer Rouge rule, witnessing firsthand the government-­‐enforced policies that led to famine and disease, as well as state executions. The artist’s collages and paintings are intimate narratives of his memories from this period and the civil war that followed. The process of creating artworks simultaneously allows him to experience and express the freedom that was denied to him as a youth. Dr. Peter Sharrock made his first visit to Southeast Asia in 1970 as a Reuters’ correspondent. The war put the large Angkor temple complex out of reach and this was prolonged as Cambodia closed on itself. He finally reached Angkor in 1990, when landmines abounded and control of temples passed daily between the government and the Khmer Rouges. He obtained his doctorate on Buddhism and Imperial politics as discerned through the sacred art of the Khmer civilisation from SOAS, where he now lectures and researches. Image: Leang Seckon, King Sihanouk's Funueral, 2012, mixed media on canvas, 49.5 x 39.5 cm