Sculpture becomes more attractive amid national efforts to breathe life into the profession

Pursat, Cambodia – Pursat marble and natural stone sculptures have been famous for many years. Now, however, the art of sculpture has been hit hard by many financial issues, as it reels from the low market demand.

The provincial Department of Culture and Fine Arts has raised the alarm on the issue and expressed its concerns, as the grave issue has led to a capital flight and brain migration, with Thailand being the sculptures’ preferred destination for better living conditions.

To tackle this issue, the Ministry has been holding workshops and providing instructors on the art of sculpture.

Lach Phengly, director of Pursat Provincial Department of Cultural and Fine Art, said that he is keen on keeping the profession alive in Cambodia.
He added that sculptors would be able to provide their assistance as experts to countries like France, which takes interest in Cambodia’s Khmer, emphasizing that the profession at heart still belongs to the Khmer people.

“I think that even if Thailand sells sculptures with Khmer designs in their country, the popularity of Cambodia will not disappear. In the future, we will keep the sculptural skills of Pursat province alive,” Phengly said.

He also referred to the workshops the department organizes for artists to teach them the only popular style of sculpture in Pursat province.

Touch, who runs a 10-year old enterprise to produce sculptures, said that the ministry of culture and fine art gave enterprises instruction books on the scale model of making a statue and constantly holds workshops to explain new instructions about the handicraft.

“Sculptures nowadays are a mixture of ancient and modern, and it changes over time, depending on the buyer; we can design according to their needs,” he added.