Rei Foundation Limited is proud to present ‘Alive IV’, an exhibition in Tokyo and Yokohama featuring new work from Cambodian artist Kim Hak. ‘Alive IV’ presents approximately 40 photographs and accompanying texts that centre on the personal belongings of people who fled Cambodia during and after the civil unrest of the 1970s.
Many Cambodians were forced to flee their country to escape oppression, massacre and war under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s. They left their homes with few possessions: only the most valuable or practical items were brought along on this difficult journey. Kim Hak, born in 1981, became interested in this period of history and the personal memories of what happened to his parents' generation, and in 2014 he started the project “Alive” by visiting survivors of the Khmer Rouge era and documenting their belongings and their stories. Beginning by interviewing his own parents, “Alive” has since developed into chapters in Brisbane, Australia in 2015 and in Auckland, New Zealand in 2018, creating opportunities for dialogue between individuals and generations about the experiences of survivors in these communities.
In 2020, Kim Hak travelled to Japan on a fellowship from the Japan Foundation Asia Centre with the goal of meeting and creating work with Cambodian communities, mainly in Kanagawa Prefecture. ‘Alive IV’, the fourth chapter in the series, is structured around the stories of 13 Cambodian families, which include both former international students unable to return to their country due to the turmoil in Cambodia in the 1970s, and those who came to Japan as refugees in the 1980s.
Their possessions, such as watches, family photos and earrings, operate as vessels for memories from their homeland, their journey to escape and their new country. Kim Hak visited with each family, taking time to listen to each person, and then documenting their objects and stories in photographs and text. The resulting photographs of each item emerge with dignity against a black background, shedding light on personal stories buried in the past, quietly and powerfully reflecting the resilience of those who have lived through this painful history. In this way, the exhibition aims to convey the importance of sharing memories of the past and connecting them to the future.
The exhibition is supported by New Zealand-based Rei Foundation Limited. We hope it will provide an opportunity for people of Cambodian descent in Japan to engage in dialogue about their histories, across generations, and for people of diverse backgrounds to better understand and accept each other across physical and cultural boundaries
Artist's statement
“Alive” is a long-term photography project about memories which tied with objects. And those memories and objects got through Cambodian histories, the Khmer Rouge regime.
Inspired from my own family’s objects, the kettle and buried family photos which my mother had tried to save during the regime, I started this project “Alive” from my own family’s memory in 2014. After that I decided to expand it to other Cambodian families living inside Cambodia and then Cambodian diasporas who left their homeland to live at different parts of the world after the conflict by using photography as a means to capture the memory of human history. Most of the objects featured in my photography have been used by families before the war, during the Khmer Rouge regime, at the border camps, and then travelled on a long journey with the victims and survivors to new lands in the host countries and continued to be used as everyday items. Each photograph has a clue that leads to a true story behind each individual object. The objects have been reclaimed, digging them out of the dirty land after the Pol Pot period, or they have been kept throughout the families’ lives. ーKim Hak
Artist’s profile
Kim Hak, photography artist.
Born in 1981, in Battambang City, in the northwest of Cambodia.
Kim Hak was born two years after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime and he grew up listening to his parent’s memories of that time. Now, he uses his art practice to raise awareness of this country’s past – to remember, reclaim and reinterpret Cambodian social history from before, during and after the Khmer Rouge era.
Hak’s work has explored a number of themes related to the cultural fabric of Cambodia, including survivor stories (memory, refugee camps, host countries, Cambodian diasporas, healing process, communities, humanity, and renaissance), the funeral of King Sihanouk, architectural documentation and also the wider changing landscape of his homeland.
He has exhibited extensively throughout Asia, Oceania, Europe, Canada and the United States of America. His work has featured internationally at art and photography festivals and has been published in a number of prominent photography journals.
https://www.kimhak.com/biography/
About Rei Foundation Limited
Rei Foundation Limited was established in New Zealand as a charitable company in 2012 with a vision of a world that fosters the wellbeing of all people. Rei Foundation’s focus is on supporting projects that work towards a society that builds confidence in individuals and communities, and that respects diversity and recognises that diversity of individuals and communities is a strength. Rei Foundation has collaborated with diverse partners in New Zealand, Japan, Tonga, Malawi and Cambodia to facilitate this positive development. Our first encounter with Kim Hak's work was at a photography festival in New Zealand in 2017. His Alive series of works were exhibited as part of this festival, and we strongly felt that his message of his works had the power to strongly connect people across national, cultural, customary and racial boundaries.
The following year, we began collaborating with Kim Hak on Alive Chapter III, with works featuring the Cambodian immigrant community in Auckland. These works were then exhibited in Auckland and Phnom Penh, and published in book form. They were ultimately acquired by the Auckland War Memorial Museum to be safeguarded as an important resource on the citizens of Auckland for future generations.
https://reifoundation.com/
https://www.facebook.com/reifoundation
Kim Hak ‘Alive IV’
Date：19（fri）- 28（sun）August 2022
＜Open every day throughout the exhibition period＞
Operating hours： 11:00-20:00
（The above schedule might be altered depending on the situation at the time of the event. Please check Spiral notification webpage for the lates details regarding operating hours.）
Admission free
Venue：Spiral Garden（Spiral 1F) 5-6-23, Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Organized by：Rei Foundation Limited
Cooperation: FLAT LABO, ON THE TRIP Corporation, NPO Koganecho Area Management Centre, Alt Group
Venue cooperation: Wacoal Art Center
Supported by: The Japan Foundation
Granted by The Japan Foundation Asia Center ( Asia Fellowship , 2019)
Inquiries regarding this exhibition：aliveiv2022@gmail.com
Related Exhibition at Yokohama Venue
Kim Hak ‘Alive IV’
Date：9（fri）- 25（sun）September 2022 ＜Open every day throughout the exhibition period.＞
Operating hours： 11:00-18:00
Admission free
Venue: Elevated Studio Site-A Gallery (1-6 Koganecho, Naka-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
‘Alive IV’ book publication
An artist book, ‘Alive IV’, will be published in conjunction with the exhibition. The book will include all of ‘Alive IV’s works produced in Japan and their texts, as well as a conversation with Kim Hak, interviews with people with Cambodian roots and contributions from researchers.
Related social networks
For the latest informations please check the accounts below.
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/kimhakaliveiv/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/KimHak.Alive4/?ref=pages_you_manage
＜Request to our visitors＞
– Please refrain from coming to the venue if you feel ill.
– Please wear a mask at all times within the premises and disinfect your hands.
– You may be requested to measure your temperature with a non-touch device prior to entering the venue.
– If maximum capacity has been reached, you may have to wait to enter the exhibition site.
【EVENT】
During the exhibition, artist Kim Hak will give a gallery tour. Please join us for this rare opportunity. English interpretation will be provided and the content will be the same each time.
If you would like to apply, please fill out the application form.
▼ Application Form
https://forms.gle/uwzpdLix7fQHQQ337
《Dates》
August 20 (Saturday)
13:00-14:00 Gallery Tour
16:00-17:00 Gallery Tour
August 21 (Sun)
11:00-12:00 Gallery Tour
《Venue》
Spiral Garden
Spiral 1F, 5-6-23 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
《Participation Fee》
Free of charge
《Remarks》
English interpretation will be provided.
This is a walking event, not a seated one.
Please come directly to the venue on the day of the event.
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