At the opposite end of the gallery was Seated Buddha (2011), over 2.5-meters-tall, was a Buddha sitting cross-legged on the floor in the “lotus position,” made with rattan, bamboo, wire and plywood. Seated Buddha consists of a minimal outline, recognizable by its distinct head shape and iconic pose. Buddhism, the state religion of Cambodia for hundreds of years, was banned and virtually eradicated during the Khmer Rouge era, in which the Communist-inspired regime accused the religion of being reactionary and exploitative. With the fall of the Khmer Rouge, Buddhism was restored as the national religion, and is once again practiced by the majority of Cambodians today. Seated Buddha may then be a monument to or celebration of the Buddhist religion’s survival.
Moreover, the Buddha is believed by followers to be omnipresent and to manifest himself invisibly, such that one might sense his presence in everyday life without him being physically incarnate. Resonating with this idea, Pich’s sculpture is an abstract rendering of the deity, yet the Buddha’s presence in the work remains clearly recognizable.
Though addressing serious issues such as the travesties of the Khmer Rouge regime, Pich’s simple and elegant installations illustrate the artist’s triumphant reverence for the living customs and culture of his homeland