Photo Exhibit Recalls Cambodia’s Bloody Legacy

“Impressions of Cambodia,” an exhibit of 200 photographs that has opened in Long Beach, shows vistas of the Southeast Asian nation mostly taken by local members of the Cambodian community during visits to their homeland.

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

A few older photographs, dated before the start of the civil war in the early 1970s, 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.