Born in 1971, the Cambodian sculptor Sopheap Pitch spent his childhood living under the brutal regime of Pol Pot, helping his parents make fish traps in order to survive. Using the same materials—rattan and bamboo—he now makes sinuous, mesh sculptures that are solid and ethereal, representational and abstract. A solo exhibition of his work opens tonight, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Tyler Rollins Fine Art, 529 West 20th Street, NY, NY.

The exhibition features new works from Pich’s Wall Reliefs series, which debuted at last year’s Documenta (13) in Kassel, Germany. The show coincides with two other exhibitions of the artist’s work in New York City: Cambodian Rattan: The Sculptures of Sopheap Pich, a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (through July 7, 2013); and Compound, a large-scale, site-adaptive installation at the Brookfield Place Winter Garden (which closes today).

Above: The Brookfiled Place Winter Garden installation, courtesy Arts Brookfield Place.

Pich’s early sculptural works (2004 – 2010) addressed issues of time, memory, and the body, often relating to Cambodia’s history, particularly with regard to his childhood recollections of life during the Khmer Rouge period (1975-79), and its culture, both its ancient traditions and contemporary struggles. In his recent wall relief works (2011 – ), Pich departs from the burden of socio-political references.

For his solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the program reads: Much of his work is inspired by elements of the human anatomy or plant life. His constructions combine his training as a painter with the spatial conceptualization of a sculptor, creating three-dimensional objects that are largely defined by their graphic character. Pich's art consciously embodies his memories of culture and place. The exhibition is installed in three spaces in the Asian galleries, including an integration into historical displays, and is part of the Museum's contribution to the New York City-wide Season of Cambodia.

Born in 1971 in Battambang province, Cambodia, Sopheap Pich lives and works in Phnom Penh. He holds a BFA in Painting from the University of Massachusetts (1995) and an MFA in Painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1999). Read a recent article about Pitch and his stuido in Arts Asia Pacific.