I Am A Cambodian American: Aragna Ker

Aragna Ker is a native of Phnom Penh, Cambodia and was born in 1974. He immigrated to Southern California, at the age of six. After graduating high school, Ker relocated to attend San Francisco Art Institute and graduated with a BFA in Painting in 1999. In 2004, he received his MFA in Sculpture at Claremont Graduate University. Essential experiences serve as a springboard for Ker's methodology. His playful works fuse cultural symbols and myth in order to explore a vast range of hybrid identities. His drawings and sculptures utilize potency of motive to curiously attack simplistic materials. The United States Embassy in Cambodia, Hammer Museum, Pacific Asian Art Museum, Torrance Art Museum, Oceanside Museum, and the Los Angeles Zoo are amongst his list of exhibition sites. Ker is currently employed as the Adaptive Design Manager for United Cerebral Palsy Los Angeles, specializing in developing artistic programming for adults with disabilities.

What are you eating for comfort these days?

IN N OUT BURGER

What are you binge watching/reading? Playing on repeat?

Binge-watching: Roseanne and Robotech Macross series
Reading: Dare to Lead
Listening: Alternative music, hip hop, classic rock.

What was the last song you had stuck in your head?

An Ed Sheeran. I think it was Thinking Out Loud because people at work was listening to it on the radio. What is always stuck in my head is Joy Division's Ceremony.

What is your favorite unpopular opinion?

Mask or no mask?

What was the last thing that made you smile or laugh?

My cat Bunny Gus Gus. In the morning he becomes a possessed cat, jumping and running around all over my tiny apartment. I can't help but laugh at him because he is so big.

What is the most interesting piece of art you've seen?

I've seen amazing artwork produced everyday by all Artists that I work with at United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles. There are around 90 artists at various locations in Southern California. Their approach to mark making is uniquely their own! We don't have a website but some of the artists are affiliated with ARTLIFTING. Check them out here.

I would also have to say that I watched the Clyfford Still documentary LIFELINE and his artwork has blown me away.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell our readers?

My little sister, Vuthony Ker (Toni), had cerebral palsy. She passed away at the age of 30. It was through her that has inspired me to work with adults with Disabilities mainly Cerebral Palsy, where I have been developing adaptive tools for all individuals with unique physicality to create art independently on their own. This truly has been a passion project that has been 6 years in the works.