Photos That Recall Cambodia’s Fate

Before the age of photography, society did not know what it was like to have an objective memory. The mind softens rough edges with time. Painters, creating oil portraits for those who could afford the vanity, could slim the jowls, remove unsightly spots and generally beautify the subject.

Photographs won’t do that. As this country discovered during World War II and again during the Vietnam War, photographs remember for us all the horrible reality of a time, a people.

That is not to say photographs won’t lie. As we move into a time of computer-generated, retouched, manipulated images, we may find ourselves unable to believe what we see on the black-and-white or color page.

But there are some who still believe photographs should be used as a memory-scape, no matter the quality of the image.

Sithea San, director of the Arts of Apsara Gallery in the United Cambodian Community Plaza of Long Beach, is such a person. For her, the “Impressions of Cambodia” photography exhibit is about much more than images of her homeland hanging on the wall. The show is about remembering and telling the world.

The exhibit San put together probably will not draw art reviewers. It is 200 photographs, both professional quality and amateur, mostly taken by members of the local Cambodian community during visits to their homeland. Most are in color.

A few older photographs, dated before the start of the civil war in the early 1970s, also dot the exhibit. These were included, San said, to show people what the capital, Phnom Penh, looked like before war set in and nearly leveled the city. The exhibit includes pictures of the country’s holiest temple, Angkor Wat, basking in a former glory that has been somewhat diminished by theft and erosion.

Prince Norodom Sihanouk, who recently returned to power in the self-appointed role of his country’s savior, also makes an appearance in the photographs. And for those who might have forgotten Sihanouk’s role in bringing the bloody Khmer Rouge to power, there are photos of the prince posing with Khmer Rouge warriors. He is smiling and wearing their clothes.

“I want to show this so everyone will remember what happened to Cambodia,” San said. “So they will know what can happen again.”

“Impressions of Cambodia” runs through Feb. 24 at the Arts of Apsara Gallery, 2338 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. Admission is free and the gallery is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Information: (310) 433-2490.