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DESCRIPTION: 
Artists have long played a vital role in social activism, providing insights into social inequalities and upheavals around the world. The USC Pacific Asia Museum invites you to take part in an inspiring discussion featuring contemporary artists Humaira Abid and Phung Huynh, who focus on capturing the suffering and resilience of women and refugees with perspectives gained through interviews and lived experiences. Moderated by Pacific Asia Museum curator Rebecca Hall, this insightful conversation will explore a range of issues, including contemporary culture, feminism, war, oppression, and human rights, and highlight the power of creativity to inspire change and spark dialogue. 

Bios: 

Humaira Abid gathers ordinary objects from everyday life and transforms them into something extraordinary. Her turned and carved wood sculpture and paintings—known for their exquisite detail—depict human relationships, societal repression, and the consequences of keeping basic truths from being discussed and shared. The beauty and seductive virtuosity of her work offset her political, ironic, provocative, and even scandalous objects and installations. Born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan, Abid received her BFA in sculpture and miniature painting from the National College of Arts, Lahore, in 2000. Abid immigrated to the United States in 2008 and now lives and works in Seattle, WA. The subject of several documentaries, Abid’s works have been exhibited in museums and galleries and featured in publications around the world. Her first solo museum exhibition, Searching for Home, was created in 2017 following months of research and interviews with refugee women who have been resettled in both the Pacific Northwest and Pakistan from nations including Somalia, Syria, and Afghanistan. ​​​

Phung Huynh is a Los Angeles–based artist and educator whose practice includes drawing, painting, public art, and community engagement. Her work explores cultural perception and representation. Huynh challenges beauty standards by constructing images of the Asian female body vis-à-vis plastic surgery to unpack how contemporary cosmetic surgery can whitewash cultural and racial identity. Huynh has had solo exhibitions at Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills and the Sweeney Art Gallery at the University of California, Riverside, and her paintings and drawings have been exhibited nationally and internationally, including in spaces such as the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She has also completed public art commissions for the Metro Orange Line, Metro Silver Line, Los Angeles Zoo, and Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. Phung Huynh is an assistant professor at California State University, Los Angeles

Since 2018, Rebecca Hall (moderator) has been curator at the USC Pacific Asia Museum, where she has presented exhibitions focusing on Balinese painting, Asian textiles, and contemporary art, paying specific attention to Los Angeles–based artists and communities of the Asian diaspora. She is a trained art historian, with a PhD from UCLA in the field of Southeast Asian art. In addition to her curatorial roles, she has also served as lecturer and visiting professor at several universities in the United States and in Thailand. She has conducted research at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore; the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland; and the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History; as well as engaged in her own fieldwork throughout Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices. Organized by the USC Pacific Asia Museum. Co-sponsored by the USC Roski School of Art and Design, Pakistani Student Association, and Pakistan Arts Council of USC Pacific Asia Museum. 

Photo (Humaira Abid): Steven Mill