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By
: Jon McCoy, Picture by : Sem Vannjohn.
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| It is not
an art exhibition, but simply some stores set up
along the highway by village sculptors in the province
of Banteay Mean Chey to attract passing tourists.
Except for the hard-core gambler, tourists visiting
Cambodia for the casinos via the Poipet border gateway
from Thailand, would usually extend their stay to
also visit the Angkor Wat temples in the province
of Siem Reap, after spending day or so in the 'Vegas
of Cambodia'. This past two years have seen the
border town of Poipet transformed into a Vegas-like
casino sanctuary attracting even more visitors to
cross over from Thailand. The journey from Poipet
to Siem Reap takes between three and a half to about
five hours depending on the mode of transportation.
Some sectors on this stretch of highway is undergoing
major repair at the moment and before work is |
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completed at the
end of the year, traveling on this stretch can be quite
a bumpy and tolerating experience.
Fortunately for the travelers, as though set there to
cheer the spirit, there are rows of stalls that sell attractive
stone sculptures on both sides of the highway passing
through the district of Preah Netre Preah. Whether it
is by taxis, tour buses, pick-ups or private vehicles,
almost every tourist travelling on this stretch of road,
will be tempted to stop to admire the many pieces of art
forms on display. Here in this otherwise sleepy town,
folks can be found chipping away at sandstone blocks under
the shade of miniature palm trees or in make shift shacks,
artistically producing beautiful sculptures of ancient
Apsara dancers, deities and other religious artifacts,
etc. It is perhaps a noteworthy fact that good sculptures,
those that resemble the real McCoy of the Angkorian era
are not commonly available in shops around the country.
"Firstly, it is because of the fact that good stones
are rare and difficult to come by. The other reason is
that, tourists are afraid to buy them for fear of trouble
with the authorities," said Mr. Pok Chourn Nath,
an instructor at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts,
who teaches sculpture. There are different kinds of sandstone
and each has its unique characteristics and quality. A
sculptor will select his material according to the quality
and hardness of the stone to produce a desired sculpture.
Not all types of sandstone can be used to sculpture the
bigger statues. However for the smaller items, any variety
can actually be used although the more experienced sculptors
would have their individual preference. |
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Mr. Nath
pointed out that some sandstone are reddish in color
like those used for the Banteay Srei temple while
others are bluish, similar to the colors of the
Angkor temples. Each has its natural beauty and
the different shades make the sculptures more outstanding
according to the character of the sculpture.
Twenty-year-old Ms. Kagna who owns a souvenir shop
at the Toul Tum Poung market in Phnom Penh, confirms
that few shops sell such sandstone sculptures nowadays.
If there are any at all, it is only tourists from
European countries who would be interested in such
items and then again, they are rather selective;
buying only high quality ones.
Many people still harbor the belief that the Angkor
temples are not built by human beings and interpret
the smiles and expressions on the faces of the sculptures
in and around the ancient temples as messages from
beyond. The present day sculptor tries to translate
and imitate the forms of the ancient sculptures
meticulously; sincerely believing that in the process
of their effort, secret messages from the beyond
could perhaps be revealed to them. With this belief,
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the village sculptors
are becoming even better in their art, resulting in some
pieces being so similar to the real antiques, that it
is difficult for the tourists to differentiate without
assistance. "I will ask my ministry to issue permits
for me to sell my sculptures on the market so that people
can buy and take them to anywhere without having any problem,"
said Mr. Pok Chourn Nath, whose works are amazingly like
those made by the 'unknowns' during the ages of the Angkorians.
Mr. Nath prefers to use the same kind of stones as those
on the ancient temples and that perhaps contribute to
the amazing resemblance of his pieces to the originals.
In Cambodia today, perhaps only in Banteay Meanchey, Pursat,
Battambang and Siemreap can one find good sculptors who
are keen at reviving this ancient form of the arts. |
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Suite
B8, Regency Square, InterContinental Hotel, 294 Mao Tse Toung
Boulevard,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Tel: (855) 23 213 133 Fax: (855) 23 213 033
E-mail:
editor@leisurecambodia.com |
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