June 1, 2016 - March 27, 2017

Philadelphia artist Chanthaphone Rajavong creates 3-dimensional assemblages made from found materials, mostly parts that he has salvaged from electronic equipment like computers, video recorders, transformers, radios, and TVs. His aesthetic is rooted in his cultural experiences. He was born in Laos, a Southeast Asian country bordered by Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. For 7 years, Rajavong and his family lived in a refugee camp in neighboring Thailand before moving to the United States.

For Rajavong, art was his way to ease the adjustment between two vastly different cultures still evident in his work today. His sculptural forms and use of materials uniquely blend his original Eastern heritage with his adopted Western culture. Rajavong’s work has been described as “time-and-culture twisting,” as it simultaneously references past and present, exotic and familiar.

Rajavong has said that his sculpture “combines ancient weaving traditions from Laos with a contemporary approach to new materials that focus on recycling.” His meticulous and labor-intensive craftsmanship result in a seamless integration of wide ranging resourced materials transformed by Rajavong into new forms with renewed meanings.  

Visit Chanthaphone.com.