B.1975
Gallery
Statement
"To be different as a way of living, thinking and doing art."
Artist review
"Have you ever wondered how comes so many Black, Asian and Indian celebrities are all very light skinned? Have you wondered why early childhood photos of many top celebs show a much darker skin colour than they have now? ...". (Publicity for a whitening cream)
For a moment I'm confused. Vivid colours, dark black complexion, eyes as white as sheets. For a moment I even thought that these were portraits of black Africans. But when I take a second look I don't see any typical morphological details that confirm these first ideas. Slowly my eyes discover that they are all Cambodians, many of them in their most beautiful traditional clothes. Static, self confident, proud, laughing faces...
Some amongst them are in the business already for a very long time! Sometimes for more than twenty years. They all stand the test of time, rain showers, heavy storms or hot temperature! They had it all! And amazingly all of them are there every day, twenty four hours, seven days a week, showing themselves from their best side! Shining on their metal signs from a barbershop or beauty salons. Still looking as beautiful as they looked from the first moment they were there, untouched in their immortality. Linda Saphan changed their metal signs for a real stage, the canvas! One by one they where taken away from their familiar surroundings. But step by step all of them, show their hands and with their lighted eyes they bare their soul... Even more beautiful than before!
Michèle Vanvlasselaer, artist
Exhibitions
- 2005: "Première Vue" Sopheap Pich and Linda Saphan and others artists, at Passage de Retz, Paris, France.
- 2005: "Sun Dust", Linda Saphan, Douglas Pierre Baulos, Matthew Posey, Linga Bar, Siem Reap, Cambodia.(The invitation)
- 2005: " & ", Douglas P. Baulos, Matthew Posey, Linda Saphan, FCC Siem Reap, Cambodia.
- 2005: "Je/Jeu" French Cultural Center Yangon, Myanmar. Eikaza Cho, Than Htay Maung, Lut Lat Ein, Linda Saphan and Sopheap Pich.
- 2005: "Beauty altar", at the Gulfspace Museum in May 2005 in Fairhope Alabama.
- 2005: "Beauty altar", Eichold University Gallery, Mobile Alabama, Usa.
- 2004: "Continuity", Shinta Mani, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
- 2004: "Ligthtness piece" with Sopheap Pich, French Cultural Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Education
- 2003: DEA social sciences at ENS (École Normale Supérieure), Paris, France.
- 2002: Master in cultural anthropology at the Sorbonne, Paris, France.