Curator Vanini Belarmino presents a twin-bill featuring films by Kiri Lluch Dalena (The
Philippines) and Khvay Samnang (Cambodia) on 24 August 2022.
Referencing ulan, the Filipino word for rain, as the point of departure, these works touches
on the power and wrath of nature. Ulan takes on the role of the invisible protagonist and
antagonist in the films as the characters deal with their own suffering caused by the
extreme pour of water from the heavens as well as the consequences of its absence. Ulan,
as nature designed it — is necessary for survival, yet it can also drown and destroy. It can
be a source of abundance and scarcity; jubilation and sorrow; resolution and healing.
Similarly, with ulan naturally flowing and touching the ground, trickling down to wet the soil,
the films similarly permeates the rawness of storytelling considering the perspective of
young children.
In Dalena’s Tungkung Langit and Khvay’s Calling for Rain, both artists take root on
resounding themes from the Philippine and Cambodia epics as their lens allow the harsh
and present day realities of climate change, natural disaster, displacement and
environmental destruction to surface. This programme follows the lead of the artists in
opening up pertinent conversations affecting our society, while also introducing another
while creating an opportunity to present the another artistic language through Southeast
Asian films.
With support from the Danish Arts Foundation.
Tungkung Langit (Lullaby for a Storm)
by Kiri Lluch Dalena
Philippines, 2012
20 minutes and 35 seconds
Language: Visayan
Tungkung Langit is a title that refers to the god in the Panay epic whose tears
become rain, but in the short film, two young children do not weep but offer
an intimate perspective into their lives as they speak to each other about their
experience during a typhoon that devastated their city and left them orphans.
Speaking to each other of their trauma through play and in the smallest of
whispers before falling asleep becomes “a means by which these orphans
heal”; the film reinforces and envisions this healing
About Kiri Dalena
Kiri Dalena (b. 1975, Philippines) is a visual artist and filmmaker known for
her works that lay bare the social inequalities and injustices that continue to
exist, particularly in the Philippines. Her active involvement in the mass
struggle to uphold human rights amidst state persecution is the foundation for
her art practice, which underscores the relevance of protest and civil
disobedience in contemporary society.
Dalena works both as an individual and in collectives, such as Southern
Tagalog Exposure (active 2001–2008) and RESBAK (Respond and Break the
Silence Against the Killings, 2016–present). She studied Human Ecology at
the University of the Philippines Los Baños and 16mm Documentary
Filmmaking at the Mowelfund Film Institute. Dalena has been an activist since
her student days at the University and remains a member at large of
KARAPATAN, a national alliance of human rights organizations, desks and
individual advocates working for the promotion and protection of human rights
in the Philippines. Her works have been shown in multiple exhibitions
internationally, such as documenta 15 (2022), Berlin Biennale (2020), Manila
Biennale (2018), Shanghai Biennale (2018), Jakarta Biennale (2017), Asia
Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (2015), Fukuoka Asian Art Trienniale
(2014), and Singapore Biennale (2013).
Calling for Rain
by Khvay Samnang
Cambodia, 2021
30 minutes and 42 seconds
Calling for Rain is inspired by Reamker, the Cambodian version of the epic
poem Ramayana. The film takes the viewers on a journey through the
landscapes of Cambodia as it follows Kiri, The Monkey on his quest to save
the dying forest and its surrounding environment. The story starts after he
meets and falls in love with Konkea, The Fish, and depicts the struggles he
must overcome after the loss of his home in the forest. As the story unfolds, it
becomes clear that the problems of the forest and its surrounding fields and
rivers are linked to the irresponsible behaviours of Aki, the Fire Dragon.
About Khvay Samnang
Khvay Samnang (b. 1982, Cambodia) is a visual storyteller whose works at
the intersection of art and social justice. Intrinsic to his work is his personal
and direct engagement with local communities. For over a decade Khvay’s
works have examined the relationship between humans and nature through
the lens of Cambodia’s environmental crisis. Khvay draws on spiritual
ecologies to express the humanitarian challenges faced by these
communities in contemporary times who are losing their lands and traditions
due to deforestation, unchecked development, land grabbing and forced
population displacement. Khvay’s works have been widely exhibited in
museums like Haus der Kunst, Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Barbara,
Orange County Museum of Art, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Helsinki Art
Museum, National Gallery Singapore, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Rockbund
Art Museum, and Art Gallery of New South Wales among others. He has
participated in the Bangkok Biennale, Biennale of Sydney and documenta 14
and 15.
A graduate of Painting from the Royal University of Fine Art in Phnom Penh,
he is a founding member of Stiev Selapak, an art collective dedicated to
reappraising and remembering Cambodian history and exploring continuities
in visual practices disrupted by civil war and the Khmer Rouge regime.