Diamond Dream

作品賞析

Diamond Dream is a video by artist Li Kuei-Pi. Its creation was inspired by “Diamond Island,” a man-made island in Cambodia through Chinese investment and development, as well as the traditional Cambodian Apsara dance. Cambodia has a long history of conflict with its erstwhile colonizer, France. In 1906, at the French Colonial Exposition, Cambodia displayed its Apsara dance, which was originally performed only in royal ceremonies, and which made this dance a national symbol. However, swept by the tide of globalization, the Apsara dance has been reduced to a means of attracting tourists. Now Diamond Island has become the product of Cambodia’s modernization and capital development. Famous buildings from around the world have been replicated on the island, attracting the attention of investors. In this video, dancers wearing real estate agency uniforms perform dances that once symbolized national cultural traditions in front of a replica of the Arc de Triomphe. This seems to represent all of Cambodia’s modernization process in miniature.