YIM Maline (Cambodia)

Given the range of media that she has employed and the intellectual heft to her work, it is indeed surprising that Khmer artist Yim Maline (Siem Reap, Cambodia) is only 30 years of age. Already, she has had solo exhibitions in France, Cambodia and New Year which have variously featured intricate installations, video art, drawings, paintings and sculptures.

No doubt Yim’s confidence and versatility are due in part to her studies at very reputable art institutions in both Cambodia and France. She spent 8 years at the now-legendary Phare Ponleu Selpak Art School in Battambang, Cambodia, her birthplace. From there she moved to France and over a 5 year period obtained her BA Fine Art - Diplôme National Arts Plastique (DNAP option Art) from the École Supérieure des Beaux-arts de Caen la mer, France.

In this exhibition are 4 meticulously drawn graphite-on-paper drawings from 2010 and 2012. The two pieces from the “Scar” series are arresting – full of organic energy, pressure and movement. In two other pieces, Yim creates vivid and, at times, unsettling portrayals of childhood memories and feelings.