Observance and Memorial raises profound questions about post-colonial legacies, imperialism, nationalism, ideological extremism, accountability, and justice. “We have worked closely with a community consultation group to address these sensitivities.” "The mass killings at S-21 have had a deep emotional impact on the Cambodian Diaspora, and presenting this exhibition here in Toronto comes with the challenge of interpreting these rarely seen artifacts carefully, bearing in mind the long road to recovery they have undergone since 1979”, says Dr. “This show is dedicated to all who endured the time of the Khmer Rouge – to the survivors in Cambodia, and in the Diaspora, and to the souls of those whose lives were ended.” Every one was tortured and killed, except for 23 known so far, who survived until the regime collapsed,” recalls Curator Michael Perkins.
"Approximately 14,000 people were brought to S-21 for interrogation. “A significant part of the ICC’s mandate is to bring international political and social issues to the public’s attention, and as such we present these photos not as examples of photographic art, but as documentary evidence. “These events in Cambodia’s history are not well understood by the Canadian public, as they followed so closely on the heels of the Vietnam War, which at the time dominated the North American media,” says Francisco Alvarez, Managing Director of the ICC at the ROM. The exhibition underscores the need for historical awareness, political will and advocacy in addressing large scale human rights abuses.
Documentary s 21 archive#
Carla Rose Shapiro from the Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto and Photo Archive Group, Observance and Memorial calls attention to the atrocities that took place in Cambodia between 19, and how this specific event relates to current engagement with human rights issues.
Photos courtesy of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum andPhoto Archive GroupĬurated by Dr. On view from Septemto Main the Roloff Beny Gallery, Level 4 of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, this important exhibition informs Canadians of the tragic mass killings that occurred under the Khmer Rouge regime and how modern Cambodia is recovering from the trauma of these events more than thirty years later. The Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents Observance and Memorial: Photographs from S-21, Cambodia, featuring 103 photographic prints developed from original negatives abandoned by the Khmer Rouge in January 1979, at the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
“To keep you is no gain to destroy you is no loss” – Khmer Rouge Slogan