“War, Memory and Representation in Art: Burma, Korea, Laos, & Vietnam”
A panel discussion organized by the Institute for Policy Studies
Date: January 28, 2009
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Location: DC Peace Mural Exhibition
3336 M Street, NW (Georgetown)
Washington, DC 20007
Website: http://www.ips-dc.org/events/1008
Contact: Kathryn Zickuhr, kathryn.zickuhr@gmail.com
Please join us on January 28 at the Washington DC Peace Mural Exhibition for a powerful
discussion of the representation of conflict and suffering in art.
In the forum “War, Memory and Representation in Art: Burma, Korea, Laos, & Vietnam,”
panelists Kyi May Kaung, Annabel Park, Channapha Khamvongsa, and Anna Huong will explore
the unique ability of art to bring collective experiences of suffering into the public discourse. e
discussion will be moderated by FPIF Co-Director Emira Woods.
e panelists’ own experiences and work have touched deeply on the relationship between art and
social justice. In her work with Legacies of War, Channapha found that “the integration of
storytelling, art, and performance are critical in breaking the silence” that surrounded wartime
experiences. rough art, traumatic individual memories can be woven into a larger context of
community grief, reconciliation, and healing. “e acknowledgement of a shared journey and
struggle could lead to collective strength and power,” Channapha says.
Such memories of conflict and suffering are not confined to the past, but resonate with current
events. In 1991, when the first Iraq War began, Huong says, “I came face to face with the memory of
the war and my demons. e numbed grief inside leaked out. e memories poured out and ached
within me.” Huong responded to this “call to action” with her famous Peace Mural, where the
discussion will take place. e mural includes nearly 2000 paintings, and when fully presented,
stands eight feet tall and 600 feet long. e exhibit runs until January 30.
About the panelists:
• Artist and researcher Kyi May Kaung was born in Rangoon, Burma where she was an Associate
Professor of Economics from 1978 to 1988. Her Ph.D. dissertation, from the University of
Pennsylvania, is on the erosion of human rights and the devastating effects of central control in
Burma. She is based in Washington DC and is now an independent scholar, writer, and artist. Since
1997, she has worked in international radio, and with e Burma Fund as a Senior Researcher. An
interview Kyi May conducted with Huong at FPIF can be found here.
• Filmmaker and activist Annabel Park emigrated to the US when she was nine years old. She is
known for her innovative work combining new media and grassroots organizing. In 2007, she was
the national coordinator for 121 Coalition and organized the historic grassroots-netroots lobbying
campaign to successfully pass House Resolution 121, the "comfort women" resolution addressing the
issue of girls and women trafficked into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during WWII.
• Channapha Khamvongsa, co-founder and executive director of Legacies of War, was born in
Vientiane, Laos. In 1979, at the age of 6, her family fled Laos to Nong Khai refugee camp in
ailand. Her family eventually immigrated to the United States in 1980. In 2004, Ms.
Khamvongsa co-founded Legacies of War, which uses art, culture, education, community organizing,
and dialogue to bring people together and create healing and transformation out of the wreckage of
war. Channapha formerly worked in the Peace and Social Justice Unit of the Ford Foundation and is
a current board member of the Mine Advisory Group - America.
• For more than 30 years, Huong has communicated her message for peace as an artist, former
journalist, mother, Vietnam War refugee and fervent social activist. Huong was a 25-year-old mother
and Vietnamese journalist when she escaped her war-torn country in 1975 on the eve before the fall
of Saigon, catching one of the last refugee life boats and wearing only one shoe while clutching her
infant son. She soon embarked upon a journey that took her to Guam, then to California, and
finally to Alaska, where she turned to art. Nearly 15 years in the making, Huong’s Peace Mural is the
culmination of searing memories that bring history to life and depict the universal pain of war and
hope for peace.
Moderator: Emira Woods, Co-Director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies,
is an expert in U.S.–Africa relations. Prior to joining the IPS staff, Emira was Program Manager for
the Committee on Development Policy and Practice at InterAction, serving as a principle staff
contact for advocacy at the UN, the international financial institutions, USAID, and Treasury.
Foreign Policy In Focus (FPIF) is a think tank for research, analysis, and action that brings together 600 scholars,
advocates, and activists who strive to make the United States a more responsible global partner. e Institute for
Policy Studies is a multi-issue research center that has transformed ideas into action for peace, justice, and the
environment for over four decades.
