Phung Huynh

The artist's self-portrait is a glimpse of her journey as a toddler and a refugee. After the war ended and fearing the Communist government, her Cambodian father and Vietnamese mother fled Vietnam to Thailand, where they resided at a refugee camp for eight months. Through the sponsorship by the Jordansons, an American couple, and parishioners at a Lutheran Church, Phung and her family made their way to Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

By 1981, the Huynh family moved to Los Angeles, seeking a warmer place, a familiar community, and opportunities.