Alive III: a photography project by Kim Hak

Rei Foundation partnered with Cambodian artist and photographer Kim Hak to produce a body of work involving 12 Cambodian families now in Aotearoa New Zealand. The project documents personal objects meaningfully connected to their journeys in surviving the Khmer Rouge and refugee camps, and then resettling far from their homeland. Through photographs and texts, individuals, whānau and communities were able to come together to generate new dialogues to remember, (re)acknowledge, and (re)analyse personal and national histories and identities.

This project contributes to Rei Foundation’s work with people and communities as they share their histories and shape change on their own terms by giving support for Kim Hak to further develop his practice, and by allowing space for these important conversations about family histories, survival and resettlement to unfold.

Alive III was shown at Objectspace in Auckland from 1 June to 21 July 2019, and featured 25 works documenting former refugees from Cambodia living in Auckland, and five works from the first chapter of Kim Hak’s project. From 1 to 30 August 2019, the works were exhibited once again at Bophana Center in Phnom Penh, bringing the stories of the diaspora back to those who remained in Cambodia.

A range of public programmes ran alongside the exhibition, including events tailored to the Cambodian communities of Auckland and Hamilton, as well as local artists and art students, along with an outdoor exhibition in Manukau, allowing the stories to reach beyond the gallery walls.

In Objectspace’s beautiful gallery space, Kim Hak’s photographs hung together on a black wall, while their corresponding objects, generously lent by their owners, sat in purpose-built displays in the centre of the space. Each object was illuminated by its owner’s story, as told to Kim Hak - from the medical equipment salvaged in haste during an evacuation, to the knife (pictured above), which was used daily for peeling fruit, but also for protection.

Few personal memories of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia and the refugee diasporic experience have been shared either within Cambodian communities or in general in Aotearoa. In partnering with Kim Hak to work with those with Cambodian roots in New Zealand and draw out their own stories, the project encouraged intergenerational, cultural and community dialogue, creating a safe space for those affected to share their experiences and thoughts with their family, friends and the wider public.

As hoped, one of the exhibition’s greatest successes was the strong response from participants and visitors with Cambodian roots, many of whom were visibly moved by seeing Kim Hak’s photographs alongside the familiar objects exhibited in the space.

The exhibition has provided a catalyst for younger generations to ask their family members about their experiences, and has introduced Objectspace, a public gallery with a focus on material culture, to new audiences. People from Rei Foundation and Objectspace have benefited from building strong relationships with those who were part of the project, and the conversations that have occurred as a result of Alive III have also strengthened relationships within New Zealand’s Cambodian community.

Another positive outcome from the project has been the wide range of non-Cambodians learning about Cambodian history. Visitors experienced the exhibition, listening to the panel discussion during the show’s opening week, and hearing the compelling lecture from Rei Foundation peace scholar Dody Wibowo on World Refugee Day. An industry-focused talk from Bophana Center director Sopheap Chea, who has led the development of a Rei Foundation-backed Khmer Rouge history app, attracted a crowd of Auckland-based curators, librarians, archivists, visual arts educators and students. A publication documenting the project is being produced, featuring texts from local Cambodian scholars Niborom Young and Dr Man Hau Liev and an introduction from renowned Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh. This book will allow the stories to be shared long after the exhibition has ended.