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Samboleap Tol (1990) engages with the psychological legacy of postcolonial countries. This includes research into ancestral veneration, (death) rituals and mythology. Tol has a Cambodian background and, as a consequence of the genocide under the Khmer Rouge, a small family. She regards her friends as her chosen family. From this position, her curiosity has expanded towards the cultures and spiritual traditions of the people around her. This has led to collaborations with cultural custodians and researchers from, among others, Javanese and Indian communities. Tol seeks to offer the histories of these regions an alternative dominant narrative – one that highlights the rich cultural and religious exchange they shared with Cambodia.
Tol’s work at Prospects, Starlight (2025), refers to the mythological Mount Meru. This mountain is a central element in the cultures of the regions that interest her. The rotating object in the installation – originally a dancer’s crown representing the mountain – has been inscribed along its sides with words of guidance that Tol received from her friends and mentors, written in their native languages. The work functions both as a symbol of these individuals and as a gesture directed towards the heavens.
The viewer hears a percussive sound produced by Cambodia’s only female traditional percussion group. The installation also includes a fragment of meteorite found in North Java in 2008. Tol explains: ‘The references I draw upon are filled with both large and small stories. I try to honour them, while at the same time introducing harmony and simplicity. It would be wonderful if people from different backgrounds feel a connection with my work.’
Written by Kelly-ann van Steveninck