Immigration of Ceramics
Amy Lee Sanford
1972
Amy Lee Sanford is a Cambodian-American contemporary artist based in the United States. She was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, but was adopted and raised in the States as a child due to the Killing Fields committed by the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. As a Cambodian immigrant artist, collective trauma and healing are the main themes of her work. She held solo exhibitions in Cambodia and Australia and participated in exhibitions in various places, including Haus der Kunst in Munich (2019), A+ Gallery in Kuala Lumpur (2018), Singapore Art Museum (2017), Changwon Asian Art Festival (2013), and London Biennale (2006).
Amy Lee Sanford sought to examine Cambodian identity through the lives of individuals who were influenced by historical events in Cambodia. Sanford focused on the fact that the scars of the massacres committed under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s still affect Cambodians, including the artist herself. Sanford has been creating performance works that break earthenware pots made from Cambodian clay and then reassemble them with thread. Through this process, she heals the collective trauma caused by the scars of the tragic history. The repetitive actions of destroying pots and putting them back together remind us of the regime’s violence inflicted on the group while at the same time showing the calm will to heal it and move forward. Unbounded Arc, Munhwajeondang-ro, a video work newly presented in the exhibition, is a part of the performance series Full Circle that smashes and repairs pottery. The meaning of the series expands at the National Asian Culture Center, where the former Jeonnam Provincial Office, a symbol of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, was located.
Midnight Husky with Gold Rocks
〈Midnight Husky with Gold Roc〉, 2021.
Better Place (Stool)
〈Better Place (Stool)〉, 2024.
Spring Skies Ombre Dust Furry (Gwangju)
〈Spring Skies Ombre Dust Furry (Gwangju)〉, 2024.
L(ava) + S(and) Dust Furry,
〈L(ava) + S(and) Dust Furry〉, 2024.
Unbounded Arc, Munhwajeondang-ro
〈Unbounded Arc, Munhwajeondang-ro〉, 2024.
Self-portrait
〈Self-portrait〉, 2023.
Inner Han
〈Inner Han〉, 2023.
Purge
〈Purge〉, 2023.
Water Poppy
〈Water Poppy〉, 2022.
Jade Garden
〈Jade Garden〉, 2024.
Liminality
〈Liminality〉, 2023.
Cycle of a Moon Jar
〈Cycle of a Moon Jar〉, 2024.
Jeong (情) Garden
〈Jeong (情) Garden〉, 2024.
Still Waters
〈Still Waters〉, 2023.
Goldfish Ponds
〈Goldfish Ponds〉, 2023.
In Like A Rabbit
〈In Like A Rabbit〉, 2023.
Out Like A Tiger
〈Out Like A Tiger〉, 2023.
Jar with Tranzor Z and Aphrodite A
〈Maebyeong Vase with Eagles and Clouds〉, 2024.
Jar with Tranzor Z and Aphrodite A
〈Jar with Tranzor Z and Aphrodite A〉, 2024.
Maebyeong Vase with Peonies
〈Maebyeong Vase with Peonies〉, 2024.
Jar with Dragon and Clouds
〈Jar with Dragon and Clouds〉, 2024.
Imperfect Pride
〈Imperfect Pride〉, 2024.
Last Night in Gwangju, 2024
〈Last Night in Gwangju〉, 2024.