Srie Bun series 2015

In the two powerful installations Srie Bun I 2015 and Srie Bun II 2015, five Buddhist clerical garments present a compelling critique on the contemporary practice of monasticism. Central to both installations is the double meaning of the term Srie Bun in Khmer language. In Than’s words, ‘veal srie’ in the Khmer language means ‘rice field’, and ‘bun’ refers to ‘merit-making’, which, as he notes, is increasingly synonymous with ‘monetary’ and ‘this-world offerings’. For the Buddhist monk, wearing robes is believed to delineate a merit field comparable to the fertile rice field, where seeds are sown for reaping. Than presents the notions of Srie Bun and the practice of sowing to make one’s profit; either in the fields or in faith. 

In Srie Bun II, Than provides a literal visualisation of language. Presented on a low plinth and sewn together to form a landscape tapestry, the garments offer an aerial view. The robe’s rectilinear form and seams are suggestive of paddies framed by levees establishing a landscape of rice fields.