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• 1 2021-04-23T23:41:45+00:00 Dear Ayouba 3 Object 2 Submission plain 2021-05-13T02:50:12+00:00

  By Venghour Than

  Dear Ayouba, 
  
  Honestly, I encountered a challenging time with creating the gift for you because I tend to put a lot of effort into my creation for every person I see precious. I  realized that we have not met in person, to have proper and fun conversations and be a great friend for each other. Yet, I always knew that you are a special as person. Since the first moment I met you in our first InterArts seminar, I wholeheartedly sense your affection, openness, and vulnerability. I vividly remembered your expression towards my summer project, which was supportive and beautiful. Thank you for your honesty and amiability. Your kind spirit incredibility illuminates my experience at Trinity College. Therefore, this gift I worked on is a dedication for you. It is my expression of gratitude.  
  
  The gift is a watercolor painting with the elaboration of one-line art. I painted a portrait of you that is enhanced with Cambodian classical ornaments of  flowers which is visually elaborative and expressive. You would probably wonder about the valuable object in the gift, specifically the painting. First of all, before creating the work, I deeply considered about the object and the idea of transformation for gift. I focused on the belief with utilizing the existing material I possess that permits to spill my love for creativity and impact. I realized there is one object, besides my body for dancing and performing, that could provide me its fullest vitality in executing the work—the love. The object is the watercolor material.  
  
  I began to paint various images with watercolor materials in 2015. Since then, I never stop and persist to admire the magic of watercolor. In my heart and spirit, watercolor painting is a flexible and an expressive art from akin to ink painting executed in the past, especially during the Tang Dynasty in China and Japan’s Nara period. Water is the main transportation for the pigments or color of the paint, which is why the given name of this art is ‘watercolor.’ In numerous historical civilizations even today, water is a symbolism or an iconography to the  society’s religious belief and rituals. For instance, water is predominantly deemed sacred during the 12th and 13th centuries of the Angkor Empire, Cambodia. During their reigns, emperors would construct different infrastructures to create a water system that was connected to the main source of water in nature like waterfalls from mountains and hills. On the Kulen Mountain, there is an immense waterfall in which its water flows down the mountain and disperses in small water paths in the surrounding area, supporting the villagers’ livelihood on agriculture. Along the flow, there are reliefs of Linga in Hinduism, a representation of Lord Shiva or Preah Eyso, which is believed to purify the water with Lord Shiva’s divinity, therefore become sacred. People who wash their face and body there will attain purification and bon (goodness).  
  
  This is one aspect I perceive from my watercolor material, how history and spiritual belief contribute to its aesthetic ability. It is always special to be aware of the uniqueness of the object I possess, understanding how this art material—the function, beauty, and the medium, invokes, retells, and creates connections with history. Understanding water is the foremost elements in the art material and how it reveals its necessity as religious embodiment and life support in society around the world, the spirit of the watercolor art is magnificent.  
  
  Honestly, with the perception of watercolor and its vitality, I rarely utilize this art material for leisure. Most of the time, I merely use watercolor to create works that can speak history, narratives, love, and impact, as previously asserted. An example, I painted Moni Mekhala (Goddess of the Ocean) with watercolor because I saw this beauty in the art material that can glorify the embodiment of the painting’s subject. Since Moni Mekhala is the goddess of water and ocean, watercolor painting would be the ideal decision to execute her image: using the goddess’ power to express her divinity and character. Water is the key.  
  
  Therefore , for the gift, I painted Ayouba with watercolor because I sensed the same reaction when I painted Moni Mekhala. I perceived Ayouba’s spirit as water that obtains great affection and empathy. I trust this belief, and when I executed this vision, the result unveiled a strong sense power and beauty. The moment I painted his skin, I allowed the water to flow at its peace and freedom so that this permission because the subject’s identity and spirit.  
  
  Ayouba, I hope you love this artwork I dedicated to you. I hope you understand the narratives and history I encountered when creating this portrait. Thank you for always being an incredible person and friend.  
  
  Thank you,  
  
  Venghour Than