A sculpture exhibition featuring major Khmer antiquities opened at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on June 20. Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts sent a delegation to attend the opening, reflecting the importance it attached to the event.
The exhibition runs from June 20 to October 5, presenting Khmer art spanning a millennium to local audiences and art enthusiasts from around the world.
The Cambodian delegation was led by a Secretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts who also chairs the secretariat of the Interministerial Committee for Coordinating, Evaluating and Inspecting Khmer Antiquities Exhibited Abroad. Committee members and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation attended with colleagues.
The exhibition is titled “Avatar: Forms of Vishnu.” Cambodia contributed nine prized works: five stone sculptures, one bronze object and three paintings depicting forms of the Hindu deity Vishnu.
The nine Cambodian works include representations of Vishnu’s manifestations from the pre-Angkor and Angkor periods, while post-Angkor paintings portray stories of the deity.
The Khmer works are exhibited alongside about 200 Vishnu sculptures from institutions including the National Museum in New Delhi, CSMVS in Mumbai, MAP in Bengaluru, the British Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and the host Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Cambodian sculpture has been shown in Australia before, but the report described this as the first return of major Khmer artworks to mainstream Australian audiences in nearly five years. It said the exhibition deepens bilateral cultural exchanges and renews international interest in Khmer art.
