For this exhibition (25 March - 22 April 2025 at Templation, artist DEFOND Yann has designed, assembled and handpainted (oil on paper) 21 traditional Cambodian kites (ខ្លែង khleng in Khmer). From the bamboo underwire to palm glue, all materials - except the kraft paper - are local and organic.
From time immemorial, Cambodians have sent to the skies imaginary birds, snakes, dragons made of paper and bamboo with rattan long tails. To celebrate the new harvest, to communicate with heavenly spirits, to play with the wind and, quite often, to produce musical sounds up in the air.
With Khmer New Year coming, Yann has decorated the kites with the tevodas blessing each year and with the symbols of spirits who live in the sky, making up the Cambodian Zodiac, and watch over the country.
Read on the history of kites (ខ្លែង, khleng) in Cambodia and Asia
Flying over Templation lobby is the first large (180 x 215 cm) kite with its 11-m strings:
1. Khleng Ek ខ្លែងឯក [musical kite] Masanh ម្សាញ់ (male, fire element - ពង្សមនុស្សប្រុស ធាតុភ្ងើង) the snake symbolizing the coming new year.
Walking along the cascade alley, you'll find 6 smaller sized (135 x 150 cm) Khleng Ek, with 6 of the 7 tevodas (goddesses) watching over each day of the week and particularly honored when they represent the first day of Khmer New Year, Maha Sangkranta. On both sides,
2. Koreak Thevy គោរាគៈទេវី (Monday Tevoda - គោរាគៈទេវី), the tevoda of this coming year.
3. Mondar Thevy មណ្ឌាទេវី (Wednesday Tevoda - ទេពធីតាថ្ងៃពុធ)
4. Keriny Thevy កិរិណីទេវី (Thursday Tevoda - ទេពធីតាថ្ងៃព្រហស្បតិ៍)
5. Khemara Thevy កិមិរាទេវី (Friday Tevoda - ទេពធីតាថ្ងៃសុក្រ)
6. Mohoatara Thevy មហោទរាទេវី (Saturday Tevoda - ទេពធីតាថ្ងៃសៅរ៍)
7. Tungsa Thevy ទុង្សាទេវី (Sunday Tevoda - ទេពធីតាថ្ងៃអាទិត្យ)
Entering Templation main area, you'll find a series of Khleng Pnong ខ្លែងព្នង (traditional kites), 80 x 90 cm, representing the 12 Khmer Zodiac signs, along with the second large Khleng Ek of the exhibition:
8. Memi មមី (horse symbol, female tevoda, fire element - ពង្សទេវតាស្រី ធាតុភ្លើង)
9. Mme មមែ (goat symbol, female tevoda, gold element - ពង្សទេវតាស្រី ធាតុមាស)
10. Vaka វក (monkey symbol, male giant [yaksha], iron element - ពង្សយក្សប្រុស ធាតុដែក)
11. Raka រកា (rooster symbol, male giant, iron element - ពង្សយក្សប្រុស ធាតុដែក)
12. Khleng Ek: Reaksya Thevy រាក្យៈសាទេវី (Tuesday Tevoda -ទេពធីតាថ្ងៃអង្គារ)
13. Cha ច (dog symbol, female giant, earth element - ពង្សយក្សស្រី ធាតុដី)
14. Kura កុរ (pig symbol, female goddess, water element - ពង្សមនុស្សស្រី ធាតុទឹក)
15. Jot ជូត (rat symbol, male tevoda, water element - ពង្សទេវតាប្រុស ធាតុទឹក)
16. Chlou ឆ្លូវ (ox symbol, male human, earth element - ពង្សមនុស្សប្រុស ធាតុដី)
17. Khal ខាល (tiger symbol, female giant, wood element - ពង្សយក្សស្រី ធាតុឈើ)
18. Thoh ថោះ (rabbit symbol, male human, wood element - ពង្សមនុស្សប្រុស ធាតុឈើ)
19. Rong រោង (dragon symbol, male tevoda, gold element - ពង្សទេវតាប្រុស ធាតុមាស)
And in the trees :
20. Tep Apsara ទេពអប្សរា (the celestial dancer)
21. Tevbotr ទេវបុត្រ (male tevoda)
Pricing:
- Kites 80 x 90 cm [8 to 11, 13 to 21]: 400,000 ៛ (97 USD)
- Kites 135 x 150 cm [2 to 7]: 800,000 ៛ (195 USD)
- Kites 80 x 215 cm [1, 12]: 1,200,000 ៛ (295 USD)
Inspired by the late Father François Ponchaud, Yann DEFOND has lived in a working-class suburb of Phnom Penh since 2009. Rapidly mastering the Khmer language, he explores the Cambodian culture in all aspects, translating his experience in writing, visual art creations and videography, and collaborating with the news channel Thmey Thmey. As a comedian, he has joined numerous radio and TV programs.
"I've been drawn to Cambodian kites for the spirituality they carry and because it's a game with the wind," he explains as he's preparing another Khleng exhibition, this one dedicated to yantras (Buddhist graphics), to be held at Gaato Cafe (Koh Pich, Phnom Penh) in September.
Yann is the author of two books published in French: Un chrétien au Cambodge (preface by P. François Ponchaud, Paris, Médiaspaul, 2022, 168 p., and Une vie avec les ouvriers du Cambodge, Paris, Les Impliqués, 2022, 180 p. He also writes a blog.
Browse KLENG (Yann's brand) 2025 Catalog (in Khmer and French).
