In rare visit, Cambodian bronze sculptures make U.S. debut at Mia

NINA MOINI: A new exhibition of Cambodian bronze sculptures from the Khmer Empire and other significant pieces opens at the Minneapolis Institute of Art on Saturday. It's the first time some of these pieces have been on display in the US. And MIA is the only US museum that will host this exhibition. The exhibition is part of a collaboration between MIA, the National Museum of Cambodia, and the Guimet, the national museum of Asian arts in France. Joining me now to share more is Virajita Singh, MIA's Chief Diversity Officer. Thanks for your time this afternoon, Virajita.

VIRAJITA SINGH: Thank you, Nina. Happy to be here.

NINA MOINI: Happy to have you. Also, so happy to have Chhay Visoth, the Director of the National Museum of Cambodia joining us on Minnesota Now. Thank you very much for your time as well this afternoon, Chhay.

CHHAY VISOTH: Thank you so much for giving me the floor to be here by your radio program.

NINA MOINI: It's an honor to share some of your art and your culture here in Minnesota and on Minnesota Now. Virajita, I wanted to start by asking about this first that this exhibit is. It's the first US presentation of these pieces together. How did this relationship form? How was MIA selected for this?

VIRAJITA SINGH: I think it started with our director and the then chief curator, who's now senior deputy director, Matthew Welch, and our director, Katie Luber, actually having a conversation with the Musée Guimet and realizing that this would be an incredible opportunity to bring that exhibit that is such a strong partnership between the Musée Guimet and the national government of Cambodia to Minnesota, with its strong presence of the Cambodian Minnesotan community.

NINA MOINI: Chhay, would you tell us a little bit about the cultural significance of bronze sculptures in Cambodian history?

CHHAY VISOTH: Thank you so much. The significance of the bronze sculpture in Cambodia is so important for Cambodian culture because we can see the trace of these important happenings more than 2,000 years ago. Especially for the context of bronze artwork, you can see this happening since, seventh century, with the trace of the big statue testing during seventh century and continue until the Angkorian period, especially one of the collection's most masterpiece here to be displayed.

It is in the 11th century. That is the largest and important collection of Cambodian. You see, that's why what we want to show here is about the great work of Cambodian in metal testing or in Cambodian history in the past.

NINA MOINI: And I understand, Chhay, that the centerpiece really of the exhibition is the 7 foot tall, long bronze sculpture, The Reclining Vishnu. What is the significance of that piece?

CHHAY VISOTH: For us, it is a great masterpiece that the only collection that we have in Cambodia. These link to the great history of the hydraulic system, the base for setting up the capital city of Cambodia during Angkorian period. It's connection, when we are thinking about the Reclining Vishnu, it's the symbolic of the creation of the new world, the setting up of the new capital city of Cambodia because we're finding this great work in the center of the big reservoir in Cambodia as a part of the hydraulic system situation.

And then it's great for Cambodian collection because the only one that defines in current archaeological finding in Cambodia and the largest one. And we might thought it is the largest in the Southeast Asian context that we find it. And that's why we considered it the most important bronze artwork of Cambodia.

NINA MOINI: Wow. Virajita, Minnesota is home to one of the largest Cambodian communities in the country. How exciting was it for this exhibit to come? What kinds of feedback did you get from some of the local community?

VIRAJITA SINGH: It is so exciting, as you mentioned. First thing, I think there's more than about 12,000 Cambodian Minnesotans, in the context of 300,000 Asian-Americans in Minnesota. So I think that's a large community. But also we partnered with two key partners. One was the Watt Munisotaram Buddhist Temple that has an incredible 40-acre complex in which they have a temple, and it's a living tradition, both in terms of practices, and buildings, and architecture, and art, and so on.

And also we partnered with the Council of Asian Pacific Minnesotans. And we did this right from early stages. And so I think the community has come along. And today they were here before the rest of the museum opens, basically doing a community blessing of the West Mebon Vishnu that Chai just talked about.

And so it was very powerful. There is such enthusiasm for it. And I think we hope to see lots of people come see it because it's the only place that it is coming to in the United States. And perhaps this won't be repeated in quite the same time, the same way again, in the future.

NINA MOINI: Chhay, I wonder why that decision was made just to show this once here, probably, in the US. Is it because it's just such precious materials to be transporting?

CHHAY VISOTH: The long history regarding to this great masterpiece, actually, my government decided not to allow these great masterpieces, for the Reclining Vishnu, particularly, to go out of the country.

But the condition that it happened due to the research teams of the French from [INAUDIBLE] and then the Musée Guimet, which has a long relationship with Cambodia, they try to convince us in order to share this treasure, to be a part of the conservation because since the first finding over 50 years ago, we haven't had a proper restoration and conservation of this statue.

And that's why we would like to take this opportunity to send this statue out of Cambodia to be conserved and did the scientific analyzing in France with the assisting of the MR institution for the scientific work. And that's why we decided to allow this great masterpiece to be out of the country.

And that's why, as [INAUDIBLE] that the only chance to be displayed in is a whole collection, with another 126 objects in Minneapolis. That's the only chance that you can see this in USA. That's why I-- yes, I just would like to share this story because this is the last chance that this great masterpiece will be out of the country.

NINA MOINI: Wow. Virajita, that's an honor, right? What do you hope that people take away from this, people who are in the Cambodian community, people who are not?

VIRAJITA SINGH: Yeah, So I think, I hope, visitors, not only the Cambodian visitors, but every visitor that visits it-- and we expect people locally, and regionally, and nationally to come-- have a sense of the same excitement and appreciation that we have been feeling, but also a sense of awe, because it's really in the presence of these beautiful bronzes, you can sense the depth and breadth of Cambodia's artistic and spiritual heritage.

And so there's an opportunity for pride in belonging but also recognizing the history, resilience, and culture reflected in the galleries of a major American museum. And for us at the museum, this is what-- for us, it's embodies what inclusion looks like because the community presence really has brought a whole other level of depth to our work in art and excellence.

NINA MOINI: Thank you both so much for your time this afternoon, really appreciate it.

VIRAJITA SINGH: Thank you, Nina. Thank you so much for the opportunity.

CHHAY VISOTH: Thank you. Thank you.

NINA MOINI: Thank you. That was Chhay Visoth, the Director of the National Museum of Cambodia, and Virajita Singh, the Chief Diversity Officer for the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Royal Bronzes, Cambodian Art of the Divine will be at MIA through January 18.