Morning Glory by Sopheap Pich

By: Cal Lim, Cambodia

Reconnecting with his Cambodian roots, artist Sopheap Pich uses rattan to form the bittersweet emblem of the Morning Glory. He, like many other Cambodians, sought refuge in the United States following the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime, the nationwide genocide that killed over 1.5 million citizens from 1971 to 1974.

Pich’s sculptural construction of the Morning Glory commemorates the plant as a lifeline. “The regime at that time, they don't let you fish, they don't let you hunt, they don't let you take anything out of anywhere to eat, to feed yourself … We were starving a lot, and the morning glory was just an essential plant. The morning glory and the banana tree are two vegetables that we used for making soup in the commune cafeteria,” he tells the Guggenheim Museum. Along with this poignant use of symbolism, Pich explores his childhood in other ways. Material, perspective, and scale are all carefully considered to expand on Cambodian strength and beauty alongside trauma.

I’ve grown to understand the tremendous impact the Khmer Rouge had on Cambodian society, but it is often hard to comprehend as reality. Sopheap Pich’s unique portrayal of this time strikingly presents a tangible piece of my country’s complex history. Perhaps my father was lucky to eat Morning Glory soup too. Especially for other Khmer people, I truly recommend a deeper delve into the intricacies of this emotional piece.

Morning Glory (2011). Photo from the Asia Contemporary Art Week (ACAW) Archive.