Svay Sareth
Dublin Core
Title
Svay Sareth
Contributor
Coverage
Contributor Item Type Metadata
First Name
Svay
Surname or Business Name
Sareth
Years Affiliated
2016
Affiliation
NTU CCA Singapore
Birth Date
1972
Birthplace
Cambodia
Occupation
Artist
Biographical Text
Svay Sareth (b. 1972, Cambodia) was born during a period of political turmoil and violence that would last until he was 18 years old. Svay began making art as a young teenager in the Site 2 refugee camp, near the Thai-Cambodian border. He describes life as a refugee as "void nationality...a time and place you imagine escaping from." Drawing and painting became a daily activity for Svay ‚ a process of bearing witness to the psychological and physical violence that was an everyday experience, as well as a way to symbolically escape and dream of change. After the wars ended, Svay went on to co-found Phare Ponlue Selepak, a non-governmental organisation and art school in Battambang that continues to thrive today. In 2002, the artist continued his studies in France, earning the Diplôme National Supérieur d'Études des Arts Plastiques / MFA in 2009, after which he returned to Siem Reap to live and work.
Solo exhibitions include I, Svay Sareth, am eating rubber sandals (2015) and Traffic Circle (2012) both SA SA BASSAC, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Select group exhibitions; 2016 include Phnom Penh, Rescues Archaeology, The Body and the Lens in the City, Fragments & Empire: Cambodian Art from the Angkor Period, John Young Museum of Art, University of Hawaii, Hawaii (2016), Prudential Eye Awards Finalist Exhibition, Art Science Museum, Singapore (2016); After Utopia, Singapore Art Museum (2015), Singapore; Gods, Heroes and Clowns: Performance and Narrative in South and Southeast Asian Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia; Secret Archipelago, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2015).In 2016, he won Prudential Eye Award Best Emerging Artist Using Sculpture and Overall Best Emerging Artist.
Solo exhibitions include I, Svay Sareth, am eating rubber sandals (2015) and Traffic Circle (2012) both SA SA BASSAC, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Select group exhibitions; 2016 include Phnom Penh, Rescues Archaeology, The Body and the Lens in the City, Fragments & Empire: Cambodian Art from the Angkor Period, John Young Museum of Art, University of Hawaii, Hawaii (2016), Prudential Eye Awards Finalist Exhibition, Art Science Museum, Singapore (2016); After Utopia, Singapore Art Museum (2015), Singapore; Gods, Heroes and Clowns: Performance and Narrative in South and Southeast Asian Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia; Secret Archipelago, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2015).In 2016, he won Prudential Eye Award Best Emerging Artist Using Sculpture and Overall Best Emerging Artist.
Country of Practice
Public Resource Centre Affiliation
Contributor Type
Theme
Files
Collection
Citation
“Svay Sareth,” NTU CCA Singapore Digital Archive, accessed February 14, 2025, https://ntuccasingapore.omeka.net/items/show/1151.
Item Relations
Item: Svay Sareth | References | This Item |