Born in Cambodia and is currently based in Los Angeles, Vinhay Keo employs photography, installation, sculpture, performance, and writing as strategies to explore the persistent hauntings of violence. Freedoms Yet to Come (A Kite Song) is based on a popular Khmer legend about the folk hero Thnon Chhay. Imprisoned by the Chinese king, Thnon Chhay built a kite using the hair of his fellow prisoners as strings, producing a “song” which drove the king to free him. The traditional Khmer Kleng Ek (Singing Kite) is believed to represent freedom and peace. Vinhay Keo’s kite is constructed of both handmade and mass produced materials, alluding to both a cultural tradition and globalization/colonialism. Vinhay earned an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. His work has been shown in venues across the United States as well as Berlin and Singapore.

Artist website: www.vinhaykeo.com