Rosewood Phnom Penh presents “Complementarity”, a multidisciplinary art exhibition that celebrates the “Art of Living Together” through greater compassion, empathy, and harmony. On display will be works of two local Cambodian artists, Adana Mam Legros and Tytaart, who are passionate about sharing their vision with the world.
Guided by the overarching concept of Complementarity, the dynamic exhibition explores 11 thought-provoking themes, ranging from Human Chaos to Femininity and Masculinity, Violence, in Contrast, Parenthood, Empathy / Compassion, and Vulnerability. Together, these themes support the artists’ dream for a more supportive and caring world, where humans work together and thrive together.
Art with a Purpose
Born and bred in Cambodia, Adana finds inspiration from many sources – her parents’ activism work, neuroscience, philosophy, sociology, and her personal battle with cancer. Passionate about humanitarian work from a young age, the visionary believes art and activism go hand in hand and it seems curators agree: Adana’s geometric acrylic paintings have been exhibited all over the world, including New York, Paris, Australia, Brussels, and Bangkok.
Tytaart, a respected Phnom Penh-based portrait artist, has joined forces with Adana to bring “Complementarity” to life. The local artist specializes in fine art photography, capturing incredibly intimate and evocative portraits of women in photographic series. From friends to total strangers, Tytaart depicts the visceral emotions and raw beauty of her subjects, while playing with natural light and shadows to create unexpected compositions.
A New Generation of Cambodians
During the exhibition, Adana Mam Legros will officially launch another project: Generation C Cambodia. With the “C” standing for Convivialism (the art of living together), the socially driven artistic movement aims to encourage new ways of thinking, placing a greater emphasis on collaboration, compassion, and social responsibility. And to add another layer of collaboration and excitement, the artists have invited two other Cambodia-based fashion designers, Eric Raisina and Romyda Keth, to showcase a collection of 10 exquisite dresses.
Complementarity: The Art of Living Together
Collaboration with Tytaart
At Rosewood Phnom Penh Garllery
Pandora’s Box: Human Chaos
“Our modern global industrial society is creating some of the very same sorts of environmental problems that caused ancient societies to fail, plus four new ones: human-caused climate change, buildup of toxic chemicals in the environment, energy shortages and full human utilization of the earth’s photosynthetic capacity […]
Complementarity – Convivialism
The art of living together
“Convivialism is the name given to all past or existing doctrines, secular or religious, which contribute to the search for principles that promote human cooperation and progress, in full awareness of the finite nature of natural resources and with a shared concern and care for the world. The philosophy of conviviality, the art of living together, is not a new doctrine claiming to cancel or surpass previous doctrines, but one which complements and enriches them.”
Femininity & Masculinity
“Each male has a female component, and each female has a male component’’.
Violence in contrast
“([Our notions of violence in society)] reveal above all a psychological and social pathology, which requires care and serious reflection on our priorities. The increase in violence that we observe in Western societies, regardless of age, gender, and social context, is perhaps related to a growing inability to endure the duties society brings upon us and a concerning propensity to confuse universal rights and individual desires. In these conditions, we should question our growing inability to endure frustrations and control our aggressiveness. It is our education that is in question, not our principles. That has to be changed.
Parenthood
On the contrary, parenthood goes far beyond this. Parenthood is a transcendental gift of lifelong knowledge and experiences transferred to the offspring consciously or unconsciously. It is a genetic, cultural and emotional inheritance which is sometimes poisoned if no capacity for self-reflection is transmitted to the child, risking the repetition of toxic patterns and behaviors. Here lies the importance of self-awareness, of one's own past, one’s psyche, one's traumas as a parent but also as an individual (and as an engaged citizen.) Parents must find the ultimate courage to be vulnerable, to completely and entirely open up towards their children. Express and share your whole life story, your happiness and suffering, your traumas and quarrels, struggles and fights, your solitude and rejections
Empathy and Compassion
“In our modern industrial societies, the ego becomes an instrument of manipulation. We took the principle of competition as the engine of our Western society -- you have to be better than the other, you have to be on top of the other.”
The awakening of sensuality
Accepting one’s body leads to self-knowledge and fulfilment, not in an individualistic perspective but as shared vulnerability and intimacy. This requires the appreciation of oneself and therefore of the Other. To be aware, to be sensitive and to listen. We should practice the art of being present, using the sensations of the body as a door to spiritual awakenings.
Same sex chaos
"You can have ambition
But not too much.
You should aim to be successful
But not too successful
Otherwise you will threaten the man.
We raise girls to see each other as competitors Not for jobs or for accomplishments
Which I think can be a good thing.
But for the attention of men
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are.’’
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Nigerian writer
Vulnerability
“To be vulnerable, in this sense, does not mean to be weak, nor to be a victim or a prey, but to be open to communication in the depths of human exchange. Real courage, advocates the embodied partisan of the argue approach, is the willingness to expose ourselves - with our flaws and everything else - to another person.
Pandora’s Box: The pursuit of change
We have to choose the path of resilience. As Boris Cyrulnik says, "Resilience is knowing how to navigate through torrents." Therefore, we must have the courage to face what life has to offer us.
Behind the scene