OUT & ABOUT UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Monday, August 19, 1996 5D Cambodian culture is set for world tour Art exhibition to be displayed in U.S., France The Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia—Cambodia is set to mount an international exhibition of some of its greatest art works — a show that organizers hope will help the world remember the country's cultural glories and not just its grisly killing fields. Nearly 100 sculptures and artifacts spanning a thousand years — some treasures of Angkor among them — will be sent to France and the United States for display at museums next year. Alongside exhibits in Paris and Washington, D.C., experts will restore imperiled pieces using technology not available in Cambodia. "This will show the world that Cambodia is more than just about the killing fields, the horrible years of war and Khmer Rouge terror," said Minister of State Vann Molyvann. Helen Jessup of Washington's National Gallery described the exhibition as an epoch-making, never-to-be-repeated revelation of the treasures of Cambodian art. And one that almost didn't come to pass, given Cambodia's intense political in-fighting that impedes progress on virtually every front. After an agreement was signed last year by Molyvann and the foreign exhibitors, officials in the Ministry of Culture voiced concerns over sending such priceless objects abroad. Describing the situation as very sensitive and delicate, Culture Minister Nut Nareng said the exhibit would for too long empty Phnom Penh's National Museum of its major pieces, a number of which shouldn't be allowed out of Cambodia since they represented national identity. Some newspapers accused National Museum Director Pich Keo of trying to sell the treasures to foreigners. Exhibit advocates implied some opponents had smuggled antiques out of the country. Nonpartisan sources involved with the exhibition say power struggles and political allegiances rather than culture are at the root of the dispute. The Ministry of Culture is opposed to Molyvann, who heads a special organization, Apsara, charged with overseeing the jewel in Cambodia's cultural crown — the great temples of Angkor. Conflict also stems from an increasingly bitter struggle between the two ruling coalition parties. With the fate of the exhibit in the balance, French diplomats, along with their American counterparts, applied pressure earlier this year and a compromise was reached. At least two sculptures have been removed from the original list of items to be exhibited. One is Nandin, a stunning seventh-century figure of the bullock ridden by the Hindu god Shiva. Kept in the Royal Palace, the statue is regarded with almost mystical reverence; some Cambodians believe misfortune will befall the land if it's removed. The second is perhaps Cambodia's best known statue, believed to be a likeness in stone of King Jayavarman VII, who ruled over a vast empire from his magnificent capital at Ankor during the 12th century. Jessup had pleaded that the stone sculpture be brought out for restoration. Currently reinforced with rusting iron rods, it is in danger of fracturing. "This will show the world that Cambodia is more than just about the killing fields." Vann Molyvann Cambodia Minister of State Apsara says six of the most damaged pieces will be transported next month in specially-designed trunks to French laboratories. Under the agreement, French experts and four Cambodian trainees have for several months been restoring pieces at a workshop inside the National Museum. The bulk of the exhibit is to be shipped at year's end for display Feb. 11 through May 26 at the Grand Palais in Paris and July 6 through Oct. 5 in Washington. It will be the first exhibition of Cambodian art to be held in the United States. In France, the borrowed works will be reunited with 60 art works taken out of Cambodia when France ruled the Southeast Asian nation as a colony. The traveling exhibit will include stone sculptures, wooden images, ritual objects and a number of bronzes from the sixth through the 16th centuries. Some remarkable pieces haven't been seen in public since the early 1970s when they were transferred from the Angkor area during the Cambodian War. They have been kept in sealed trunks in the National Museum. Kansan Classifieds get results. Fast! NATURALWAY - 820-822 MASS. * 841-0100* - NATURAL FIBER CLOTHING - NATURAL BODY CARE Red Lyon Tavern A touch of Irish in downtown Lawrence 944 Massachusetts 832-8228 MAKE YOUR NEW PLACE FEEL LIKE HOME! Springmaid·WAMSUTTA. Factory Stores Fine Linens for Bed, Bath, & Kitchen Fine Linens for every room in your home! All direct from our own Factories at low Outlet Prices! 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