Episode 5: Sopheap Pich – Finding freedom in making art
Do you know that feeling of being fully immersed in the process? Whether it's creatively like when we’re writing, drawing, or dancing, or even when we’re running or going for a hike, we can find moments of absolute freedom in the process. Art making is so much like that for Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich. Sopheap is widely known for his large, immersive sculptures primarily made out of bamboo, rattan, beeswax, burlap and earth pigments. In this episode we talked about Sopheap’s process of starting with an object and allowing for its possibilities to grow and expand into form in his sculptural works. It’s such a rich and inspiring conversation about process, labour, and finding freedom in making art.
About Sopheap Pich
Sopheap Pich lives and works in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Born in Battambang, Cambodia, in 1971, he moved with his family to the United States in 1984. He received a BFA from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) in 1995, followed by an MFA in painting from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1999. Sopheap is widely known for his large, immersive bamboo and rattan sculptures. His work has been exhibited extensively in Asia, the United States, Europe and Australia. Sopheap has had a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, (February 23—July 7, 2013). Other solo shows include Collection + Sopheap Pich, Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, Sydney, Australia (2013). He has been included in many prestigious international exhibitions, including the 57th Venice Biennale (2017); Moscow Biennale, Moscow, Russia (2013); DOCUMENTA, Kassel, Germany (2012) and the Singapore Biennale (2011); Asia Pacific Triennial, Queensland Art Gallery, Australia (2009).
Find out more about the artist at sopheap-pich.com