"Buddhas of Bayon," 2008 Daguerreotype by Binh Danh

The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University shared this information about their exhibit “Binh Danh: In The Eclipse of Angkor.” The Vietnamese-born photographer was artist-in-residence at Hollins in 2009, and an exhibit of his prints was showcased at the museum in Spring of that year. The museum curated its first ever traveling exhibition using Danh’s work, and that exhibit is on display at the Piedmont Arts’ Pannill Gallery in Martinsville through Aug. 28. Details below, courtesy of the museum.

Eleanor D. Wilson Museum travels critically acclaimed exhibition to Piedmont Arts and North Carolina Museum of Art

The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University is pleased to announce that the exhibition “Binh Danh: In The Eclipse of Angkor” will open on July 10, 2010 at Piedmont Arts in Martinsville, Virginia and will run through August 28, 2010. The exhibition will then travel to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, where it will be exhibited from November 7, 2010 to January 30, 2011. “Binh Danh: In the Eclipse of Angkor” was organized by the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University where it was on view in the spring of 2009 before the Museum sent it on a national tour to other art institutions. The exhibition and accompanying publication were made possible by the Hollins University Frances J. Niederer Artist–in–Residence Fund.

In the exhibition, Danh presents his chlorophyll prints, incorporating found butterfly specimens, as well as his Daguerreotypes—all of which document and interpret the genocide that took place in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. His subject matter stemmed from a trip in 2008 to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Choeung Ek, the site of the Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge; and Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s famous Khmer temple. This exhibition continues the artist’s most important themes: his exploration of photographic processes meshed with his investigation of the collective memory of a country and the principles of redemption and justice. Artist Binh Danh was the 2009 Frances J. Niederer Artist-in-Residence at Hollins University.

In conjunction with “Binh Danh: In the Eclipse of Angkor,” Piedmont Arts will present “An Evening with Binh Danh” on Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 6:30 PM at Piedmont Arts. Danh will discuss the inspiration behind his work, his photographic technique and answer questions related to his exhibit. Please RSVP attendance to 276.632.3221 or online at www.PiedmontArts.org.

Piedmont Arts is a nonprofit art museum and educational outreach center in Martinsville, Virginia. The mission of Piedmont Arts is to provide experiences in the visual and performing arts to enrich and enlighten the lives of the people of Martinsville, Henry County and neighboring areas. Piedmont Arts’ normal hours are Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm and Saturday from 10 am – 3 pm.

The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, a premiere arts destination in the Roanoke Valley, features the work of nationally renowned artists, emerging figures, and regional names. The museum mounts exhibitions that explore currents in modern and contemporary art. The museum is currently closed for renovations but will reopen on September 16th, 2010. Normal museum hours are Tuesday – Friday, 10 am – 4 pm, and Saturday, 1 – 5 pm and is closed during university breaks. Admission is free. For more information, please call 540.362.6532 or visit www.hollins.edu/museum.