Bun Heang Ung (on the left).
Renowned Cambodian artist Bun Heang Ung has donated 88 original drawings documenting his account of life under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime to The Australian National University. The artworks will join the University's rare books and manuscripts special collection in the Menzies Asia-Pacific Library. Bun Heang Ung produced the pieces following his arrival in Australia as a refugee in 1980 to communicate and record for posterity the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime in a way that overcomes cultural and linguistic barriers. "In making this gift we feel that we have fulfilled our duty to bear witness to the catastrophic history of the Khmer Rouge," he said in a joint statement with wife Phiny Ung. ANU Vice-Chancellor Ian Young AO said housing the collection at the University will ensure that this record is available to local and international scholars and researchers. "ANU is recognised as a global leader in Asia-Pacific studies and this body of work is an important visual record of a significant period in the region's history. It will be a valued addition to the University's existing resources," he said.
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