PALA
2023

Pala is a sculpture that encloses a moving cloud evolving around a levitating carved stone. The stone, retrieved from Cambodia, was sculpted to reproduce in miniature the heads of Brahma that France took from the Siem Reap site in the early 20th century. This original sculpture, removed from Khmer temples, was transported to France and is now part of the permanent collection at the Guimet Museum in Paris.

The history of this removal dates back to the colonial period, during which French archaeological missions were sent to Cambodia to document and collect art objects and cultural artifacts. This practice contributed to the creation of vast collections of Asian art in France but also raised complex questions about conservation, ownership, and cultural representation.

With Pala, the intention was to bring back, in the absence of the original piece, a symbolic copy that floats in the heart of a Parisian cloud, like a poetic sample of the initial capture made by the French. This piece presents itself as a reflection on the displacement of art objects and on how these fragments of history continue to float, between two worlds, while remaining attached to their cultural origins.