“Displayed in an accordion format which echoes a common format for artist books, 10 photo-collage aluminum prints tell the story of Chhan’s parents, who immigrated to the United States from Cambodia to escape the brutality of war under the Khmer Rouge regime.” ( quote from The Greenway, Misa Chhan)

I loved walking among the compelling pages of this sturdy, large-scale outdoor book in Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin Park on the Greenway one evening in July. Focused on faces, fabric patterns, and family members, I formed connections at my own pace. My next walk there will bring out more to share. Meanwhile quotes from the Greenway link should offer context and entice you to explore Misa Chhan’s artwork.

“The artist selected images of their parents in refugee camps learning English as a Second Language, raising the artist and their sibling in Section 8 housing, and learning how to run a donut business. Like thousands of families in the Cambodian diaspora, Chhan’s family joined the West Coast donut business community as a pathway to obtaining immigration sponsorship and making a living in the United States.”  ( quote from The Greenway, Misa Chhan)

“Cyanotype * prints made from vintage curtains wrap and partly cover the photographs in a hazy, dream-like way, as though the breeze was blowing through a window, nodding to the domesticity of trying to nest and find home through memories. Domestic elements from the artist’s home life such as sewing, lace curtains, doilies, photo albums, and cross stitching, are utilized to further invoke home.” ( quote from The Greenway, Misa Chhan) * photo printing in distinctive blue tones

“Misa Chhan (they/them) is an artist and natural dyer who lives and works in Los Angeles. They work across natural dyes, textiles, fibers, kites, printmaking, and artists’ books. Drawing upon their background in book arts, printmaking, and papermaking, they began to explore natural dyes as a medium to stay engaged with and learn from the natural world. ” ( quote from The Greenway, Misa Chhan with link to artist’s website)

Next month, I plan to follow up with another part of Misa Chhan’s “Year of the Snake:” the nearby “series of 10 digitally-printed flags featuring scanned hand-dyed indigo shibori print on fabric. “( excerpt quote from The Greenway, Misa Chhan)