CURATORIAL STATEMENT

This year marks fifty years since the fall of Saigon and the rise of the Khmer Rouge—a moment that fractured families, scattered generations, and left behind silences still felt today. While war marked peace for some, it marked the beginning of profound upheaval for Cambodia.

At the heart of this exhibition is ព្រលឹងមាសអើយ (prolung measa aey), which translates to Golden Soul—a 17th-century Khmer poem written by Preah Reaj Somphear, a king in exile. In Khmer, this register of royal speech is rarely spoken today, yet it lives on—felt in the body, preserved in ritual, remembered in silence. Though the language may seem distant, it holds deep significance to our heritage. This is love as reverence. Love as offering. Love as what we cannot say, but still carry.

Composed in rhythmic, elevated language reserved for royalty and sacred expression, the poem is both intimate and formal, delicate and enduring. While addressed to a princess, it speaks to something greater: the beauty of nature, the longing of the soul, and a divine love that transcends form. This poem is a piece of our heritage—its spirit at the center of this exhibition, reminding us of what is sacred, enduring, and still waiting to be spoken.

Much is lost in translation. And still, we try. Like gold filling the cracks of broken pottery, My Soul of Gold is not a direct translation, but a reflection—a way of expressing what cannot fully be said. In this exhibition, each artist brings their own golden soul forward, not to recreate the poem, but to echo its spirit: Hao’s wisdom through fracture and repair, Gabriella’s movement through classical dance, and Sara’s meditative reinterpretation of sacred forms.

Gold appears not only in image and metaphor, but in form: in jewelry, crowns, silk, and spirit. Cambodians have long adorned themselves in gold for weddings, rituals, and celebration. Our temples shimmer with it. And now, we reclaim it—not only as beauty, but as livelihood, memory, and belonging.

As we move beyond the fifty-year mark, we step into something new. My Soul of Gold looks toward a golden era—not one free of struggle, but full of intention. It is a time to restore what was scattered, to follow what we long for, and to create with clarity and care. This moment marks the beginning of what many are calling a Khmer Renaissance—a return not only to tradition, but to the possibilities we imagine for ourselves.

My Soul of Gold is what love could look like—an homage to our heritage, our culture, and our ancestors.


WISDOM OF GOLD

When My Soul of Gold was first envisioned, photojournalist Hao Taing imagined a body of work that would honor Cambodia’s elders—the everyday memory-keepers, laborers, and lovers whose presence often goes unseen. As the founder of Apsara Grannies, Hao has long been committed to capturing the raw beauty of daily life in Cambodia. But his work extends beyond image-making—it is a form of humanitarian storytelling, meant to preserve dignity, raise awareness, and restore visibility to those who have been overlooked.


Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi—the practice of repairing broken pottery with gold—Hao saw the cracks in Cambodia’s history not as something to conceal, but something to honor. To bring this vision to life, he invited painter Sara Gregor to collaborate. Hao encouraged Sara to consider the idea of metaphorically “filling the cracks” for My Soul of Gold. Together, they reimagined images, asking us to consider where beauty lives, and who we choose to honor.


Wisdom of Gold features portraits of grandmothers, cyclo drivers, and elderly couples—many of whom have lived through poverty, displacement, and invisibility. Dressed in ceremonial gold and traditional adornment, they appear not as subjects, but as sacred figures. The series also includes experimental works such as The Broken Mask—a layered meditation on identity and fragmentation in post-war Cambodian life. In several images, golden cracks and breaks appear—echoes of kintsugi, inviting viewers to witness the process of cultural repair.


Photojournalism, for Hao, is not just about bearing witness—it’s about building connection. His work bridges the gap between visibility and dignity, using storytelling to call attention to lives often overlooked. In a country still shaped by the aftermath of war and inequity, Hao turns his lens toward those living and laboring at the margins: elders on the street, cyclo drivers, vendors, and community caretakers. His images offer not only reverence, but resistance—an act of remembering and a call to see.


Wisdom of Gold offers reverence for those who carry memory in their bones—and reminds us that healing, like gold, belongs in the hands of those who have survived.

DANCE OF GOLD

Gold lives in movement, memory, and transmission. In Cambodian culture, Robam is more than performance—it is sacred embodiment—a form of prayer that mirrors the divine within us. Dance of Gold honors this spiritual lineage through the lens of Gabriella Sour, a principal dancer, educator, and cultural steward whose journey began at the age of twelve with a single moment of stepping in—and never stepping away.


Specializing in the female role (Neang), Gabriella has trained under master teachers including Phousita Huy and Yousedy Peov, as well as through contemporary collaborations with Urban Khmer Ballet and The Reachany Project. Her approach blends tradition and evolution, rooted in reverence while remaining alive to the future of Cambodian performance arts. Now serving as operations manager of Wattanak Dance Troupe, Gabriella helps shape both the artistic and organizational direction of the community she leads.


In a world where so much of Cambodia’s cultural heritage was fractured or erased, embodiment becomes a powerful form of translation. Through movement, dancers carry what words cannot recover—gesture becomes language, ritual becomes memory. Each motion is a form of remembering, an offering, a way to speak what history tried to silence.


This section highlights four classical dances Gabriella has specialized in—each rich with symbolism, beauty, and blessing—followed by six foundational character archetypes in Robam, captured in intimate portraits: Makot Neang, Makot Nearong, Hanuman/Sva, Ream Eyso/Yeak, Lok Tha Moni Eysei and the Celestial Apsara. 


Photographed in Gabriella’s family home, the crowns, masks, and garments featured here are not museum artifacts—they are cherished relics worn in ceremony and preserved with care. These objects carry the weight of memory, the power of performance, and the presence of protection.


Dance of Gold reminds us that dance is not simply movement, but memory in motion—a sacred thread linking body, lineage, and land. It asks us to consider how tradition lives on: not in monuments, but in the gestures of those who continue to carry it. This is gold in motion—grace passed from hand to hand, step by step, generation to generation.


We proudly present a live performance of Robam Phoung Neary (Blossoms of Femininity) as the official dance showcased during the My Soul of Gold exhibition reception on April 11. This piece, led by Gabriella Sour, honors the grace, elegance, and sacred tradition carried through generations of Cambodian classical dance.

SOUL OF GOLD

by Sara Gregor

My Soul of Gold is a revival of sacred image-making—my offering to the spiritual and artistic traditions that have shaped Cambodia’s cultural soul and my own path of return.

This section begins with ព្រលឹងមាសអើយ (prolung measa aey)—a 17th-century Khmer poem written by Preah Reaj Somphear. Composed in elevated royal speech, the poem is filled with longing, grace, and devotion. While addressed to a princess, it becomes something larger: a love letter to the soul, to beauty, to divinity. I chose to present the original Khmer poem here, to honor the depth and tone of its sacred language. The title of this exhibition, My Soul of Gold, is inspired by Trent Walker’s academic translation of the text—a reflection that, while not literal, captures the essence of what the poem evokes.


Placed alongside the poem are two photographs by Hao—including the cyclo couple, an image that speaks to intimacy, movement, and care. At the center of this arrangement is a display of royal crown jewelry, surrounded by the crowns of a king and queen—a quiet tribute to the figures who have long embodied dignity, spiritual leadership, and cultural continuity in Cambodian history. Together, these elements form a constellation of love, legacy, and reverence.


Nearby, a sculptural altar invites you to step closer. A bookshelf holds the book where I first encountered the poem’s translation, a few texts that have shaped my creative life, and a collection of my mother’s books—stories that continue to guide me. A mirror beside it asks you to see yourself within this lineage and reflect on what you carry. Incense to burn gently near a golden Buddha, placed as an homage to the teachings and practices of Buddhism—a path that has been central to my personal and spiritual journey.


Traditional Cambodian garments are displayed just beyond: a wedding outfit and two modern styles, symbols of ceremony, continuity, and adaptation across generations.

Finally, you arrive at Koreak Tevy, the Monday Angel. She is the final image in the room, created in celebration of Cambodian New Year. In Buddhist cosmology, each day of the week is protected by a Devata, or day angel. This year, Monday’s angel descends—elegant, protective, and golden. This painting was inspired by my experience participating in the New Year processions at Watt Munisotaram, where I have walked, carried, and embodied this tradition alongside my community. I painted her as a guide between past and present, ritual and rebirth.


My Soul of Gold is the desire to offer something back—to create beauty from memory, and meaning from what's been lost.


I’ve found it in collaboration, in connection, in the shared commitment to creating something that endures.