SOUTHEAST ASIAN

SCULPTURE
Southeast Asian people show their
artwork through fabrics and exhibit
other artworks through festivals. Do you
think Southeast Asia can offer more
kinds of artworks? Let’s read on…
Cambodia
• For many thousands of years, the art of
stone carving has flourished in Cambodia.
From small statues to the breathtaking
carvings found at Angkor Wat, this art
medium has become one of the country's
most cherished art forms.
• Stone carving has been both a passion and
a livelihood for many Cambodian sculptors.
• The art of stone carving in Cambodia has a
very long, fascinating history which goes
back to the foundation of the Khmer
nation.
Thailand
• Thailand is world-famous for its sculpture
that dates back 4,000 years. The most
commonly used materials are wood,
stone, ivory, clay, and various metals. The
most notable sculptures are the Thai
bronzes famous for their originality and
grace.
• This famous sculpture in Wat Pho in
Bangkok is 46 meters long and 15 meters
high. It is made of plaster on a brick core
and finished in gold leaf. The feet are
inlaid with mother of pearl.
Laos
If Cambodia has stone
carvings, Lao artisans use a
variety of media in their
sculptural creations.
Typically, the precious
metals such as bronze,
silver, and gold are used.
The most famous
statue made of gold
is the Phra Say of the
sixteenth century,
which the Siamese
carried home as loot
in the late eighteenth
century.
Another famous sculpture in
Laos is the Phra Bang which is
also cast in gold. Unfortunately,
its craftsmanship is said to be of
Sinhalese, rather than Lao,
origin. It is traditionally believed
that relics of the Buddha are
contained in the image.
Vietnam
Vietnamese sculpture has
been heavily influenced by
the three traditional religions
Taoism, Confucianism, and
Buddhism, which come from
neighboring countries China
and India.
• Among the famous
sculptures is the
10,000- year- old
carvings which can
be seen on the
Dong Noi cave.
• The Dong Son culture is famous for
its kettledrums, small carvings, and
home utensils, which have handles
sculpted in the shape of men,
elephants, toads, and tortoises.
Five provinces: Gia Lai, Kon Tum,
DakLak, DakNong, and Lam Dong
are suited in the highlands of south-
west Vietnam. Mourning houses
erected to honor the death of the Gia
Rai and Ba Na ethnic groups are
symbolized by statues placed in
front of the graves. These statues
include couples embracing, pregnant
women, people in mourning,
elephants, and birds
Indonesia
• Indonesia is known for its stone,
bronze, and iron-aged arts. The
sculptures can be found in numerous
archaeological sites in Sumatra, Java
to Sulawesi.
• The native Indonesian tribes usually
create sculptures that depict
ancestors, deities, and animals. This is
evident in the pre-Hindu-Buddhist and
pre-Islamic sculptures from the tribes.
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• The most amazing
sculptures are the Asmat
wooden sculpture of
Papua, the Dayak
wooden mask and
sculpture, the ancestral
wooden statue of Toraja,
and also the totem-like
sculpture of Batak and
Nias tribe.
• From the classical Hindu-
Buddhist era of Indonesia,
the most prominent
sculptures are the hundreds
of meters of relief and
hundreds of stone Buddha
at the temple of Borobudur
in central Java.
Today in Indonesia, the richest,
most elaborate and vivid wooden
sculpture and wood carving
traditions can be found in Bali and
Jepara, Central Java. Balinese
handicrafts such as sculptures,
masks, and other carving artworks
are popular souvenir items for
tourists.The Jepara wood carvings
are famous for their elaborately
carved wooden furnitures, folding
screens, and also
pelaminangebyok (wedding
throne with carved background).
Malaysia
Most of Malaysia’s sculptures
are relief. These are partially
carved into or out of another
surface. These sculptures rely
on a base or plane to support
them and are a combination
of both three-dimensional
and two-dimensional art
forms.
This is very popular along the walls and
stone columns of the ancient Greek and
Roman buildings and can still be seen
today on many famous buildings,
including the Colosseum.
•Relief sculpture is practiced today by
artists and architects, done with stone,
marble, bronze, and many other
substances.
There are three main types of relief
sculptures:
• 1. Alto form- is almost completely carved from its surface highly shaped, with very little of
the structure touching the base or plane could possibly stand alone if the base or plane
were removed these are similar to the Egyptians’ alto-relief sculptures of gods or Pharaohs
attached to their temples common among Greeks and Romans

• 2. Bas form- is a relief that barely extends past the base common as wall decorations on
Greek or Roman buildings and are the type mostly seen on the Colosseum

• 3. Sunken relief sculpture - an image that is carved into the surface, rather than out of it.
• Relief wood carvings
frequently adorn the doors,
walls, and windows of
traditional Malay houses.
Popular motifs of such relief
carvings are the various kinds
of Malaysian flowers and
plants. These carvings
require a high degree of skill,
patience, and determination.
• The best Malay woodcarving is from Terengganu
and Kelantan. Passed down from one generation
to another, the craft is divided into ukiranhalus
(fine carving) and ukirankasar (literally meaning
“rough carving”).
• UkiranHalus
involves the
carving of relief
patterns, hilts of
keris (short
Malay dagger),
bed heads, and
cupboard tops.
• UkiranKasar, refers to
the carvings on larger
objects like furniture,
pillars, windows, room
portions, and eaves of
roofs.
• Cengal is the preferred
wood for building
houses and boats. Being
expensive, other woods
such as balau or perah
(which is slightly softer
than cengal) might be
used for the rafters, or
floorboards of a house
or for the prow of a
boat.
Singapore
The Sri Mariammam Hindu temple with
sculptures of different images is almost as
old as Singapore itself. This was
constructed and dedicated to the goddess
Mariamman who is worshipped for her
power to cure disease (early Singapore was
mostly jungle, so disease was rampant). Its
most interesting feature is its impressive
gopuram (tower) over the main entrance,
which is decorated with numerous Hindu
deities.
The Merlion was conceived because
the Singapore Tourism Board (STB)
felt the country lacked a distinct
image representing the nation and
its history. They set out to fabricate
an icon, which could tap into the
particular myths and folklore of the
area, many of which feature sea-
beasts and magical fish-creatures.
• The Merlion is also partly inspired by the story of
how Singapore got its name, or ‘The Singapura
Story’.
• The Sentosa Merlion is the biggest replica,
standing at 37 meters and made from glass-
reinforced concrete.
Brunei
Sculpture in Brunei takes on a more utilitarian role
than an aesthetic one. The people of Brunei have a
long tradition as excellent craftsmen using bronze
and silver to create adornments and functional
items such as bowls, tools, and the like.
Sculpting is one art
form that is not yet
widely practiced in
Brunei Darussalam.
There are a number of
artists who can make
sculptures like any
other.
Examples of their creations can be
seen at the ASEAN Squares in the
ASEAN member countries. To help
preserve this heritage of
metalwork, the Brunei Arts and
Handicraft Training Center was
established in 1975 to revive and
promote the nation’s dying
tradition of crafts, including
metalwork. The opening of this
center is still considered a
landmark in the history of
development of Brunei’s arts and
handicrafts. In addition to training
youths in the art of sculpting, the
center also helps facilitate the sale
of their crafts.