Over 200 women who delivered babies at the Los Angeles County and USC Medical Center (now known as the Los Angeles General Medical Center) between 1968 and 1974 underwent sterilization procedures. The majority of these women were low income, born in Mexico, and were possibly coerced into receiving postpartum tubal ligations. These surgeries rendered them unable to become pregnant. Coerced sterilization is a shameful part of America’s, and Los Angeles County’s, history. It is necessary to acknowledge the irreparable harm inflicted on the women who were subjected to these coercions, as well as on their families. On August 7, 2018, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors formally apologized to the women and families who were harmed by these practices. The Board instructed the Department of Health Services and the Department of Arts and Culture to design and install a civic artwork on the campus of LAC+USC Medical Center. The Department of Arts and Culture commissioned Los Angeles-based artist Phung Huynh to create the artwork, which was developed through a community engagement process. The artwork recognizes the women and their families, expresses the Board’s sincere apology for the County’s coerced sterilization practice, and reminds current and future generations that this tragedy must never occur again. The name of the artwork, Sobrevivir, is Spanish for to keep alive or survive. The 2015 documentary, No Mas Bebes, co-produced by scholar and UCLA lecturer Virginia Espino and directed by co-producer and filmmaker Renee Tajima-Pena, was pivotal in the artist’s research for this project and gave her access to listen and learn from the mothers themselves. Huynh was moved by both the courage and vulnerability of the mothers, and there were many points of inspiration for the artwork. One of the most important inspirations is the words of the survivors, which are featured on the wall surrounding the artwork; “If you speak English, they treat you one way. If you don’t speak English, they treat you another way.” “Yo, por dentro, siento mucha tristeza.” “Se me acabó la canción.” During the development of the final design, Huynh led an engagement process to inform the artwork concept and inspire a sense of community ownership. She worked with community members to create four quilts. Survivor’s family members and people with whom this experience resonated made each quilt square. This quilt represents a collective approach to healing through art and acknowledges and pays tribute to the survivors. Huynh was inspired by women’s craftwork such as weaving, sewing, and brocading, and she looked at the huipil, its strong, stoic form complimented by colorful patterns and flowers. She views flowers as important representations of fertility, as well as offerings, are included in the work. Many of the mothers relied on devotion and prayer to cope and heal. Central to the artwork is the hands of the Guadalupe, who in many ways is a powerful representation of Los Angeles. She also wanted the artwork to echo the cultural and artistic practices and traditions of Mexico where many of the mothers are from. In Mexico, leather tooling is a beautiful and highly skilled craft and the elegant markings on leather, which is ultimately skin, is symbolic of the mothers’ sobrevivir, their resilience, and how they transformed their suffering. The site for the artwork is a circular space that invites contemplation. Huynh created a powerful piece that invites viewers to learn about the mothers and connect with their experiences. The artwork is made of 32 panels of Corten steel that will rust and change over time. It is a living piece of art and of history that will grow and evolve with the community. On the surrounding wall are the words of the mothers. The choice of metal is deliberate to convey the strength, resilience, and sobrevivir of the survivors. The austere physicality of the metal is complemented by the effects of light. The artwork will illuminate at night to enhance the feeling of a contemplative, yet powerful space.

Phung Huynh is a Los Angeles-based artist and educator whose practice is primarily in drawing, painting, and public art. Her work explores cultural perception and representation. Huynh challenges beauty standards by reconstructing images of the Asian female body vis-à-vis plastic surgery to unpack how contemporary cosmetic surgery can create obscurity in cultural and racial identity. Her most current work of drawings on pink donut boxes and cross-stitched, personalized California license plates explores the complexities of the refugee experience in Southeast Asian communities. Phung Huynh has exhibited nationally and internationally. She has also completed public art commissions for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro Orange Line, Metro Silver Line, and Metro Neighborhood Poster Series) and the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Phung Huynh is currently Professor of Art at Los Angeles Valley College. To learn more visit: http://www.phunghuynh.com/