"One Hundred Hands" 2021

I became inspired by a well- known Cambodian proverb, which reads "women have
100 hands." Inspired by this proverb and funded by the grant I won from Treeline Urban Resort Artist Grant program, I created a new series of work entitled, "One Hundred Hands" with my community in my home village in Kralanh District, Siem Reap.

I was reminded of my mother's words. “as women, we must engage in endless multitasking in our roles as wives, mothers, housekeepers, cleaners, cooks, as wonen, we must engage in enuress multi-tasking in our roles as wives, mothers, housekeepers, cleaners, cooks, and our various other roles.” In 2020, I held a workshop with women in my home village during which I became inspired by their stories. I offered new sarongs (traditional wrap skirts) to the women in my village in exchange for their old ones. Once the exchange was made, I asked them to collectively sew the used ones into a large single installation piece which I then used as a prop for a photo shoot at several locations throughout the village including the lush green rice fields. Several women participated, and I also staged several self-portraits. Sometimes, the sarong installation became a sort of cocoon she wrapped myself in other times it appeared as a burdensome load a woman was pulling across a vast, empty landscape.

When I saw my mother wearing the same old sarong, one that she continued to use until it was worn out and could no longer be used, I wondered why she still kept wearing it. This question led me to think more deep about the belongings women cherish. To me, the sarong represents a woman’s identity. It is an important part of herself that no one can take away.

My series pays homage to the stories of the women in my village, translated into visual images. Bringing attention to the proverb "women have 100 hands" and the voices of women in my village, I attempt to shed light on the tension between traditional and contemporary female roles in my society.

My photographs combine mixed media elements with printed photographs, including hand-cut paper, stencils, paint, and ink. I want presents, interdisciplinary framed works and the sarong piece sewn by the villagers as an installation.