For the past six months, four generations of Cambodian residents have learned how to express themselves creatively, tell stories of their past and strengthen generational bonds at the United Cambodian Community of Long Beach.
Residents can soon see the culmination of this emotional and physical work in the upcoming Un-Invisible Project: a traveling art exhibit with drawings, paintings and written pieces set to premiere June 7 at the Expo Arts Center.
Local artist Cory Bilicko spearheaded the project through a grant from the Arts Council for Long Beach, choosing to focus on people who do not consider themselves artists or have never had the chance to learn.
“People like me who are artists, we know how to get our work out there in the world, and also as artists, we’ve created avenues to express ourselves,” Bilicko said. “People who don’t have that skill, I wanted those people so I can get their stories out of them.”
The result is a deeply personal reflection of Long Beach’s Cambodian community, told not through history books or City-run celebrations, but by multiple generations learning and healing together. The 35 participants, ranging in age from 6 to 98, spent months sharing and refining their stories, reliving traumas and grappling with what it means to be a multigenerational immigrant community.
For the first three months, participants learned about the project itself, explored different artistic mediums, and discovered which ones they felt most connected to. Bilicko also shared his own art and the stories behind them, no matter how vulnerable, wanting to take the first step in the trust needed for the Un-Invisible Project to succeed.
Sayon Syprasoeuth, program director for the United Cambodian Community, said he was thankful for the multigenerational connections made during the past few months, as well as the “cross-cultural” lessons.
“I hope people learn about the diversity in life experience and perhaps what people’s challenges and contributions are that go into cultural building … even in terms of what people are living without, even though that may not be shown in the art,” Syprasoeuth said.
In January, Bilicko began meeting with participants one-by-one or with families one at a time.
The budding artists shared their stories, explored what feelings and images they wanted to explore and how to tackle their respective projects, in a process Bilicko said was emotional for almost everyone involved.
“I think a lot of people who live in this area have a rudimentary understanding about what Cambodian immigrants endured before they came here and after they came here, so I wanted this project to be an opportunity for these people to be more visible,” Bilicko said. “So the idea is to make them not invisible and to come out of the shadows, because some of them have been living in the shadows and don’t feel comfortable sharing that.”
Some participants used the past few months as a form of therapy, taking difficult steps to talk and write about their experiences of losing their home and loved ones to the Khmer Rouge, then moving to an unfamiliar place and having to acclimate.
Others used the time to discover what makes them happy, what hobbies they would like to explore, what foods mean the most to them.
“It was completely up to them what they wanted to share,” Bilicko said. “My goal was to make them feel as safe in the project as possible and so many of them opened up. They all did in some ways. You’ll see both extremes.”
Bilicko explained how some families were struggling with generational trauma, even though their youngest family members were born in the United States and never had to live through the Khmer Rouge. Some children spoke of and painted monsters that at times symbolized striking similarities to stories he heard from older generations, perhaps through stories being passed down or something more innate.
The creations are a mix of collages, watercolors, self-portraits, abstract pieces and more, all accompanied by a story or poem. Each piece of writing has been translated from Khmer into Spanish and English to allow more people to appreciate the perspectives on display.
The Un-Invisible Project will be on display at the Expo Arts Center, 4321 Atlantic Ave. in Long Beach, from Friday, June 7 to Thursday, June 13, with an opening reception on June 7 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. during the First Fridays Art Walk.
It will then be featured at the Rod Briggs Gallery, 2221 E. Broadway in Long Beach, from Sunday, July 28 to Saturday, Aug. 3, with an opening reception on Sunday, July 28, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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