Thesis
French
ID: <
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/25477>
Abstract
The aim of this thesis is to better understand how contemporary visual artists, based in Battambang, Cambodia, express their subjectivity through their artistic process. In a context where traditional arts have been dedicated to religious and utilitarian purposes, it is relevant to reflect on the changes that have allowed “self-expression” to become a central concern for contemporary artists in present day Cambodia. In 2012, I conducted an ethnographic field study with contemporary visual artists who were born and still live in Battambang. My results show that the artist’s subjectivity is signified through roles and values (humility, equanimity, compassion, discernment) marked by Buddhism, especially Cambodian modernist Buddhism; which consequently leads some of them to reconsider, or even turn down, the selpakor (artist) designation. Moreover, my results underline the fact that these contemporary art forms do not completely break with Cambodian artistic heritage. More generally, my research tackles various issues regarding the integration of Battambang’s contemporary visual arts to the global art world.