The Shine of Khmer Children (1994 - 2010) Photo exhibition by Saito BAKU
Main Bar and Masukomi Sushi
Oct. 5 - Nov. 01, 2013
Having become embroiled in the war in neighboring Vietnam, civil war broke out in the peaceful Kingdom of Cambodia following the Lon Nol coup d' état in 1970. Even after the Vietnam War ended, the killing continued in Cambodia, as a result of appalling ethnic cleansing, a war with Vietnam, and internecine conflict between four rival factions. Peace was finally achieved at the Paris Peace Conference in 1991 and a general election was organized through the efforts of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), establishing a democratic constitutional monarchy under King Sihanouk. The restoration of the monarchy and a policy of reestablishing Khmer culture were adopted in order to imbue the people with a feeling of national pride, and at the same time, the ‘Angkor’ site was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Today, the cities are filled with young people who know nothing of war and whose eyes shine with hope for the future. These children of Siem Reap, the gateway to the Angkor ruins that has survived the confusion of war and now echoes to the sound of reconstruction, look forward to the rebirth of national pride founded on the former splendor of Khmer culture.
Saito BAKU
A large proportion of BAKU's work has been focused to Cambodia, particularly Angkor Wat. He has taken numerous photographs in and around the temple complex and of the people residing in the area. Major exhibitions included the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, UN headquarter in New York, POSCO Art Museum in Korea, and Phmom Penh University. His photographs are also in the collection of the Cambodia Royal Museum. In addition, he has published a number of photo books. In January 2006, Baku received the "Sahametrai Kingdom Decoration" from the Kingdom of Cambodia.
The Exhibitions Committee