Chamroen Eng, Phung Huynh, 2021
Chamroen Eng, Phung Huynh, 2021
Phung Hunyh
Chamroen Eng, 2021
Serigraph, Ed. of 54
20 x 26 in.
My parents would always tell me as a kid to "study hard so you can use your brain for work instead of your hands." The donuts shop was my training ground for hardworking: waking up at 4 AM and going to work, encountering customers of different personalities and life stories, and managing time to complete schoolwork. It was also always a place to gather as a family, discuss future plans, and share hopes and dreams. I am two months shy of becoming a physician and I attribute all of my successes to my family and their donuts shop. Chamroen Eng, Kristy's Donuts and Sandwiches in El Monte, CA.
Donut W(h)ole is an homage to the Cambodian immigrant and Cambodian American (Khmerican), the aftermath of warfare and genocide, stories of survival, determination, and commitment to the family unit. The exhibition is also a celebration of the Cambodian stories told through the lens of 1st and 2nd generation Khmericans who grew up in their family's donut shop.
Phung Huynh is a Los Angeles-based artist and educator whose practice includes drawing, painting, public art, and community engagement. Her work explores cultural perception and representation. Huynh challenges beauty standards by constructing images of the Asian female body vis-à- vis plastic surgery to unpack how contemporary cosmetic surgery can whitewash cultural and racial identity. Her work of drawings on pink donut boxes explores the complexities of assimilation and cultural negotiation among Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees who have resettled in the United States. Phung Huynh has had solo exhibitions at Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills and the Sweeney Art Gallery at the University of California, Riverside. Her paintings and drawings have been exhibited nationally and internationally, including spaces such as the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She has also completed public art commissions for the Metro Orange Line, Metro Silver Line, the Los Angeles Zoo, and the Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. Phung Huynh is Professor of Art at Los Angeles Valley College where her focus is on serving disproportionately impacted students. She is Chair of the Public Art Commission for the city of South Pasadena and has served as Chair of the Community-Based Art/ Prison Arts Collective Advisory Council, which advises a vital program that provides art courses and workshops to underserved communities and prisons. She completed undergraduate coursework at the University of Southern California, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with distinction from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and received her Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University.