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In collaboration w/ Cambodian American Partnership and Khmer Artists

MY SOUL OF GOLD

A Contemporary Offering of Khmer Heritage

In celebration of

Khmer New Year

MY SOUL
OF GOLD

A Contemporary Offering

of Khmer Heritage

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About the Exhibition

April 11th - April 27th, 2025

My Soul of Gold is the debut curatorial exhibition by Cambodian-American artist and educator Sara Gregor, presented at XIA Gallery & Cafe. Centered on Cambodian heritage, memory, and embodiment, the show offers an intimate and contemporary reflection on spiritual and ancestral legacy. Featuring visual works, artifacts, and a special collaboration with Apsara Grannies by Cambodian-American photographer Hao Taing, the exhibition invites viewers to witness how love, beauty, and resilience continue to shine across generations.

In Khmer culture, gold is more than a precious metal—it is a sacred embodiment of divinity, love, and inner radiance. In My Soul of Gold, gold symbolizes the enduring spirit of the Cambodian people, the resilience of beauty after loss, and the luminous essence that continues to shine through ritual, art, and embodied memory.

The title draws inspiration from a 17th-century Khmer poem by Brah Rajasambhar—a celestial love letter written in exile. Though addressed to a princess, the poem transcends romantic longing. It is a meditation on impermanence, time, and the enduring nature of love—woven through imagery of the setting sun, rustling winds, birdsong, and the moon rising over Mount Meru. Love, in this context, is not confined to two individuals; it is an experience of the soul, mirrored in the natural world.

In this exhibition, gold appears not only in material forms—jewelry, crowns, garments—but also as an aura carried by dancers, elders, and memory-keepers. It lives in the body and in the gestures that transmit culture across generations.

This deeper, spiritual understanding of love—as a presence that transcends form—resonates through Hao’s Apsara Grannies series. The portraits of Yeays adorned in traditional Apsara attire are more than acts of heritage preservation; they are moments of cyclical return. Each grandmother embodies a dancer, an ancestor, and a living vessel of joy and remembrance.

Just as the poem invokes a timeless golden soul, Hao’s images invoke that same radiance—not romantic, but reverent. The love of tradition. The love of lineage. The love that glows in the smile of someone who feels beautiful, honored, and alive in her becoming.

events

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Opening Reception

Fri. Apr. 11th   |   6PM - 8PM

XIA Gallery & Cafe

Join us to celebrate the exhibition of "My Soul of Gold" and meet the artists involved. There will be a Khmer Classical Dance performance by Gabriella Sour and a spoken word performance by Sara Gregor. Light appetizers will also be served.

Opening Reception

Fri. Apr. 11th |  6PM - 8PM

XIA Gallery & Cafe

Join us for the exhibition of "The Art of Resistance" by Zhi Kai Vanderford. Vanderford is a transgender artist, activist, writer, and elder. This exhibit curates the artwork he's created while incarcerated in the last 37 years. The exhibit curates four different themes: identity & transformation, prisons & policing, police violence, and friends.

meet the artists

meet the
artists

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Sara Gregor

Lead Curator / Writer & Visual Artist

Sara Gregor is a Cambodian-American artist, writer, and educator whose interdisciplinary practice explores memory, ritual, and cultural identity. Grounded in Buddhist philosophy and Southeast Asian visual traditions, her work engages themes of healing and the sacred through painting, writing, and community storytelling.

Sara holds a B.A. in Religious Studies and Asian Studies from Macalester College, where she also managed the campus radio station and directed student arts magazines—platforms she used to uplift emerging voices and build creative communities. A longtime student of meditation, she has trained with the Namchak Foundation and Shambhala International, deepening a contemplative path that informs both her art and teaching.

In recent years, Sara has begun volunteering more actively at Watt Munisotaram, the Cambodian Buddhist temple in Minnesota, as part of her effort to reconnect with her heritage. Through participating in New Year’s ceremonies and building relationships with fellow Cambodian-Americans, she is deepening her commitment to cultural expression, community care, and intergenerational connection.

Her creative work seeks to hold space for reflection, resilience, and reverence—where ancestral wisdom meets contemporary voice.

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Hao Taing

Photographer

Hao Taing is a photographer, a marketer, and the visionary founder of the international non-profit, Local4Local. With a mission to catalyze kindness, Local4Local is a grassroots 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to uplifting the lives of cyclo drivers and informal workers in Cambodia; emphasizing on alleivating food hunger and promoting community tourism. As a creative at heart, Hao also co-founded, Feel The Warmth, an artist-led initiative behind the heartfelt projects including Apsara Granny, and the Cyclo King. A proud graduate of the University of Minnesota in Marketing, Hao currently works with the Brand and Marketing team the Minnesota Star Tribune.

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Gabriella Sour

Director Of Operations & Principal Dancer of Wattanak Dance Troupe

Gabriella Sour is a Cambodian dancer whose artistry is rooted in the centuries-old traditions of Khmer dance while embracing the evolving landscape of Cambodian performance arts. As a specialist in the female role (Neang), she brings a refined grace and deep cultural reverence to her performances. Gabriella began her training at the age of twelve and has since dedicated herself to preserving and advancing Cambodian classical dance. Her artistic journey has been shaped by intensive training under master teachers, Phousita Huy and Yousedy Peov, as well as Peter Veth of Urban Khmer Ballet and Garrett Sour, whose mentorships have refined her technique and deepened her understanding of the form's expressive and narrative power. Currently serving as a principal dancer and operations manager of Wattanak Dance Troupe, Gabriella is involved in shaping the troupe's artistic and organizational direction. She is also a dedicated educator, mentoring beginner and intermediate students and cultivating the next generation of Cambodian dancers. Her performances have been featured widely across Minnesota and in Lowell, Massachusetts, with The Reachany Project and Urban Khmer Ballet, collaborations that reflect her commitment to expanding the reach of Cambodian dance within diverse artistic communities. Through her work, Gabriella explores the intersection of heritage and contemporary expression, ensuring that Cambodian classical dance remains a living, evolving art form.

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