Chanthou Oeur
Encyclopedia
Chanthou Oeuror Chakra Oeur also known as O'Bon, is a Cambodia
n painter
and sculptor who has lived in the United States
since the 1980s.
. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by various foster families but it was monks who were responsible for much of his nurturing. He spent much of his childhood living in Buddhist temples.
The social and political turmoil in Cambodia led him to leave in the 1980s and he settled in the United States
. His interest in the arts continued from his time at admiring artwork in his native temples. His art began very early in his life, at the age of 2 or 3, when my hands started to coordinate with my eyes." He had difficulty knowing "whether art is part of his life or his life part of his art."
Self-taught with a natural ability, Chanthou Oeur works in a variety of mediums of art, including stone
, metal
and wood
Since the 1980s Chanthou Oeur has participated in a number of exhibitions. receiving much acclaim at the global Cambodian Art Festival held in Long Beach, California
where he won his first award for his work. He participated in the Smithsonian's Natural History exhibit Across the Seas and Over the Mountains, and took part in a Khmer Arts exhibition at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History
.
More recently he has begun to write poetry
and together with his artwork made a presentation at the Weisman Museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota
.
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and sculptor who has lived in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since the 1980s.
Biography
He was born on a small sandy island about 20 miles from Phnom PenhPhnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by various foster families but it was monks who were responsible for much of his nurturing. He spent much of his childhood living in Buddhist temples.
The social and political turmoil in Cambodia led him to leave in the 1980s and he settled in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His interest in the arts continued from his time at admiring artwork in his native temples. His art began very early in his life, at the age of 2 or 3, when my hands started to coordinate with my eyes." He had difficulty knowing "whether art is part of his life or his life part of his art."
Self-taught with a natural ability, Chanthou Oeur works in a variety of mediums of art, including stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
, metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
and wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
Since the 1980s Chanthou Oeur has participated in a number of exhibitions. receiving much acclaim at the global Cambodian Art Festival held in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
where he won his first award for his work. He participated in the Smithsonian's Natural History exhibit Across the Seas and Over the Mountains, and took part in a Khmer Arts exhibition at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History
Museum of Natural History
A museum of natural history is a museum with exhibits about natural history, including such topics as animals, plants, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, and climatology. Some museums feature natural-history collections in addition to other collections, such as ones related to history, art and...
.
More recently he has begun to write poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and together with his artwork made a presentation at the Weisman Museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
.
External links
- http://www.providence.edu/art/cambodian/oeur.html