Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain

Left: Remains of a brick temple on a forest-covered mountain peak, with flooded rice paddies and blue sky in the distance; Right: Face of sandstone sculpture of Krishna
  • Dates

    April 30, 2022 - September 18, 2022

  • Location

    Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

  • Collection Area

    Southeast Asian Art

Revealing Krishna transports visitors to a sacred mountain in the floodplains of southern Cambodia. The exhibition showcases a monumental sculpture of the Hindu god Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan to protect his people from a torrential storm sent by an angry god. For the first time, the sculpture is explored in the context of its original environment, as part of a multi-religious landscape and quite literally built into a mountain. This larger than life-size sculpture is one of eight monumental deity figures recovered from cave temples on the two-peaked mountain of Phnom Da near the ancient metropolis of Angkor Borei. The exhibition tells the life story of this sculptural masterpiece—spanning 1,500 years and three continents—and unveils the newly restored Krishna in an exhibition that integrates art, immersive video installations, and interactive design.

The exhibition includes an original short film directed by renowned Cambodian American film maker praCh Ly. Titled Satook, a word of blessing spoken at the end of Cambodian prayers, the film examines the role of ancient sacred sites in present-day religious landscapes, and the transformation of religious traditions in Cambodian American diaspora communities.

“Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain” is part of The Arts of Devotion, a five-year initiative dedicated to furthering civic discourse and the understanding of religion made possible by the Lilly Endowment Inc.

Satook

“Satook,” directed by award-winning Cambodian American rapper and film maker praCh Ly, examines the transformation of religious traditions in Cambodian American communities through the ruptures of war and immigration. The film centers on four intimate conversations with survivors and the diaspora of the Khmer Rouge genocide, who share their personal experiences and memories of their parents, and reflect on their communities and journeys of belief. The film also examines the contemporary meanings of ancient sacred sites in Cambodia and considers more broadly the diversity and complexities of religion in four different locations in the United States. Satook was featured as part of the exhibition “Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain”, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art from April 30–September 18, 2022.

Official Trailer

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Satook | Official Trailer | View on YouTube

Full Film

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Satook | View on YouTube

Bios

praCh Ly (Long Beach, CA) is a critically acclaimed and award-winning artist. First known as a musician, his debut album was the first number one rap album in Cambodia. Through masterful lyrics, his music not only entertains but also educates. His involvement in film has ranged from scoring and creating original music to producing and directing projects, including Enemies of the People and In the Life of Music. He is also the co-founder and co-director of the Cambodia Town Film Festival in Long Beach, California.

Loung Ung (Cleveland, OH) is a Cambodian-born American human rights activist and lecturer. She is the national spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine-Free World. Her first novel, First They Killed My Father, was turned into a feature film by Netflix that was directed by Angelina Jolie.

Bonieta Lach (Lowell, MA) was born in the United States to refugee parents who escaped the Killing Fields of Cambodia in the 1970s. Her parents opened Pailin Asian Supermarket in Lowell, Massachusetts, which attracted Cambodian immigrants to Lowell—now home to the second-largest Cambodian population in the country. Pailin market remains a cornerstone of the Cambodian American community.

Reaksmey “Mea” Lath (Long Beach, CA) is a celebrated Cambodian classical dancer, instructor, and manager of the Khmer Arts Academy in Long Beach. Born in a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand, Mea uses the sacred art of Cambodian dance to connect with her history, to heal and inspire, and to present Cambodian culture to the world.

Pon “Carvi” Ly (Jacksonville, FL) survived the Killing Fields of Cambodia as a child. Since arriving in the United States, he has helped establish one of the largest Cambodian temples in Florida. His father, Seng Ly, coordinated the building and installation of a monumental buddha statue near Wat Ek in Battambang, Cambodia.

Tours

Curator’s Cut

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Curator's Cut | Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia's Sacred Mountain | View on YouTube

Exhibition Highlights

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Exhibition Highlights | Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia's Sacred Mountain | View on YouTube

Walk Around

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Walk Around | Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia's Sacred Mountain | View on YouTube

Talks

Satook: A Screening and Conversation

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Satook: A Screening and Conversation | View on YouTube

Join us for a conversation between author Loung Ung and praCh Ly, director of the short documentary film Satook, which was created for the exhibition Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain at the National Museum of Asian Art.

praCh Ly is a critically acclaimed and award-winning artist. He was first known as a musician, and his debut album was the first number one rap album in Cambodia. His involvement in film has ranged from scoring and creating original music to producing and directing projects, including Enemies of the People and In the Life of Music. He is also the co-founder and co-director of the Cambodia Town Film Festival in Long Beach, California, and is currently writing a symphony for the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra.

Loung Ung is a Cambodian-born American human rights activist and lecturer. She is the national spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine-Free World. Her first novel, First They Killed My Father, was turned into a feature film by Netflix that was directed by Angelina Jolie.

Miracle, Mountain, Museum: Curator Sonya Mace on Revealing Krishna

still from the video showing two sculptures against a black background.

Miracle, Mountain, Museum: Curator Sonya Mace on Revealing Krishna | View on YouTube

The exhibition Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain at the National Museum of Asian Art transports visitors to a sacred mountain in the floodplains of southern Cambodia. It showcases a monumental sculpture of the Hindu god Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan to protect his people from a torrential storm sent by an angry god.

In this illustrated lecture, Sonya Rhie Mace, the George P. Bickford Curator of Indian and Southeast Asian Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where Krishna now resides, reveals how provenance research and conservation over the last decade have led to new, awe-inspiring insights into the meaning and context of this monumental Cambodian masterpiece.

Celebrations

Blessing Ceremony

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Sacred Art from Cambodia Blessing Ceremony | View on YouTube

On May 14, 2022, the National Museum of Asian Art hosted a blessing ceremony for Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain, organized with the Cambodian community. Led by two monks from the Cambodian Buddhist temple Watt Buddhacheya Mongkol in Woodbridge, Virginia, the ceremony uses practices such as chanting, sprinkling water, and specific hand gestures to confer protection and good luck.

Performances

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Story of the Serpent: Cambodian Dance | View on YouTube

The art of dance bridges classical and contemporary Cambodian culture. In celebration of the exhibition Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain, experience a dance performance by Mea Lath that explores the identity of the naga, the serpent deity, who poignantly gets caught in her own tail—a metaphor for struggles with identity in the wake of immigration. The program includes a traditional blessing dance and a contemporary work choreographed by Sophiline Cheam Shapiro.

Dancer Reaksmey “Mea” Lath is a celebrated Cambodian classical dancer, instructor, and manager of the Khmer Arts Academy in Long Beach, California. Born in a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand, Mea uses the sacred art of Cambodian dance to connect with her history, to heal and inspire, and to present Cambodian culture to the world. She is one of the four speakers featured in the short documentary Satook, which was created by praCh Ly for the exhibition Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain at the National Museum of Asian Art.


This exhibition is organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain is a focus exhibition featuring the recently restored Krishna Lifting Mountain Govardhan, undertaken by the Cleveland Museum of Art conservation staff, and funded by a grant from Bank of America Art Conservation Fund.

The Cleveland Museum of Art is proud to partner with the National Museum of Asian Art. This project was made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and in collaboration with the National Museum of Cambodia.

The Official Technology Partner is Microsoft.

Made possible with support from DLR Group | Westlake Reed Leskosky.

This exhibition at the National Museum of Asian Art is part of The Arts of Devotion, a five-year initiative at the National Museum of Asian Art dedicated to furthering civic discourse and understanding of religion. This program is made possible by

  • The Cleveland Museum of Art
  • Microsoft
  • Nocturnal Productions
  • Lilly Endowment Inc. A Private Philanthropic Foundation
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