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Spirit House, Cambodian ceramic sculpture, 2007
Yary Livan (b. 1954)
Lowell, Massachusetts
White stoneware clay, glaze
38 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 in.
Collection of the artist
Photography by Jason Dowdle
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Cambodian Buddhists pray everyday, yet their temples and pagodas are often built far from small villages so many Cambodians construct spirit houses for their front yards. The maker of this spirit house describes how one of his fellow countrymen might use it, "Cambodian people usually put a picture or statue of Buddha, a glass of water, a pot of flowers, and a pot for incense inside the spirit house. [They] believe that their messages will be brought up to Buddha or to the angels by the smoke of the incense they light." This ornamented structure is a powerful symbol of spirituality in everyday life.
In 2015, Yary Livan was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship.
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