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Co-organizer Richard Kong speaks during the Toothbrush Drive for Cambodia arts fundraiser. All photographs by Breanne Lynn Patterson.<\/em><\/p>\n Visual artists, musicians, community activists and health practioners staged the \u201cToothbrush Drive for Cambodia\u201d last Saturday, November 10, at The Greenhouse, as part of the 2nd Saturday Art Walk. The fundraiser was sponsored by the Cambodian Health Professionals Association of America<\/a> to advocate for increased attention to dental health in Cambodia. Art objects, raffle prizes and services were auctioned off to raise money for the association\u2019s upcoming health\u2010dental mission.<\/p>\n The bin of donated toothbrushes will fulfill unmet hygienic needs and the money raised will support the nonprofit\u2019s operating costs and causes, but the other most apparent impact of the event was the introduction of the many talented Cambodian-American visual artists to the East Village arts scene.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fundraiser was to serve as an outlet for Long Beach artists from a Cambodian background,” said Co\u2010organizer Richard Kong. “We encourage them to develop as individuals, and we supported them by encouraging them to donate their work for a cause.\u201d<\/p>\n Kong\u2019s compassionate statement represents a powerful two\u2010pronged, activist approach wherein volunteerism functions as a catalyst to inspire cultural and civic pride. By staging art within this context, the performing and visual artists contributed to the ongoing dialogue around activist art. Simultaneously, this exhibition draws attention to the thriving artistic community in the Cambodia Town.<\/p>\n Artists responded to the exhibition\u2019s theme of \u201cwork inspired by the Golden Age in Cambodia\u201d in a variety of ways. Somita was one of the exhibiting artists, and noted that she often incorporates symbols that are culturally significant. Unique to Somita\u2019s style is her self\u2010described hybrid blend of traditional American tattoo culture with Cambodian culture. Her intimate mixed\u2010media grayscale work \u201cUntitled 1,\u201d had the expressive line quality and symbolism of an inked expression.<\/p>\n The complex composition evoked the tributary images, often marked on an individual to both exercise pain and serve as a cultural mark. Present in this highly personal image were symbols of memento mori. A skull and snake dominate the right side of the composition juxtaposed by an oversized lotus flower supporting a traditional Khmer dancer on the left. A miniature boat drifts away through a surreal watery background. A bi\u2010lingual ribbon floats heavily across the small composition with the haunting statement printed in Khmer and English: \u201cKingdom of Khmer.\u201d<\/p>\n Somita\u2019s work was one of the most direct visual examples in response to the damage dealt to Khmer culture as a result of the reign of the Khmer Rouge. From 1974\u20101979, the extremist Cambodian Communist sect led by Pol Pot, participated in the genocidal destruction of its own people and a ban on cultural art forms, religious institutions and suppression of societal structures. It is estimated that during this four\u2010year period between one and two million Cambodians perished due to assassination, or oppressive conditions in agrarian work camps. Somita\u2019s gritty image pays homage to the tragic treatment of the human body and the impact on cultural memory.<\/p>\n For graphic artist Nak Bou, the visual response to the show\u2019s theme involved a linguistic mutilation and dissection of the body. \u201cThe Butcher,\u201d Bou\u2019s graphic diptych focuses on a central carved up figure, depersonalized through the use of expressive line and minimal, garish yellow color. Worm\u2010like ravels of thread resembling Cambodian script seemed to migrate from the individual\u2019s face and down to the second frame. The tendrils of fabric seemed to multiply in the figure\u2019s lower half turning into a sticky white mess. Only the feet and hands remain in tact.<\/p>\n Photowall curated by Chelsea Devere. Photographs and prints by Devere, photographic contributions by Susana Cobo and William Camargo.<\/em><\/p>\n This violent image seemed even more jarring due to the figure\u2019s off\u2010centered placement within the picture plane. Art can function as an outlet to process historical trauma, but in the case of Ritchie Kong, the weight of the past on the next generation is a source of artistic content.<\/p>\n Many young Cambodian-Americans negotiate a complex hyphenated identity and the first-generation experience. Kong utilizes a graffiti, aerosol\u2010like aesthetic in the acrylic painting in \u201cReverence.\u201d Again, the body is again broken up into bits in pieces. The layering of acrylic paint is a technique that Kong learned as a graff artist. The style recalls the machine\u2010like figures and cinematic techniques utilized by Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros. Yet, for its urban, futuristic feel,it has a spiritual side. Stylized Cambodian letters and d\u00e9cor and a strong Christian overtone are a reminder that street\u2010inspired art has been appropriated into the mainstream and is used to express a range of subjects.<\/p>\n Cambodian-American performing artists including community organizer, artist and spoken word poet Jumakae performed, along with acoustic and DJ sets. Throughout the night, educational videos were played for a hushed audience, packed into the front room of The Greenhouse. Neighborhood businesses, Utopia and the Village Grind each contributed proceeds from customers to the cause. <\/p>\n Will this event will parlay to deeper artistic collaborations throughout the city of Long Beach between art institutions, artists in Cambodia Town and the broader arts scene? Long Beach would certainly benefit from a more robust dialogue between the different aesthetic collaborators currently divided by the city\u2019s boroughs\u2010like layout. These Cambodian-American artists have opened up the dialogue.<\/p>\n Tracy C. Teran is an arts professional and independent scholar. She can be reached at tracycteran@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"corner\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/corner.jpg\")
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