Dany Pen
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Dany Pen (born September 22, 1986) is a Khmer-
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
human rights activist, artist and educator.


Early life

Dany Pen was born to a
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
n refugee family who arrived in America in the 1980s. She spent the first few years of her childhood living in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Ontario, Canada under the sanctuary of the Catholic Church with her mother. In the late 1980s, Pen and her mother were transitioned into the community of St. Jamestown by the Toronto Housing Corporation. In 1995, she and her mother were relocated again to the housing projects of Regent Park. At the age of 12, Pen was nominated by her school for the ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...
'' Honderich Award. The submission of her essay "Pride in the Ghetto" granted her the award and a full academic scholarship from the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
. Pen began using art as a platform for her political and social agendas. She then decided to transfer her University of Toronto scholarship to attend
OCAD University Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD U, is a public university, public art school, art university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its main campus is located within Toronto's Grange Park (neighbourh ...
. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at OCAD in sculpture and installation and was honoured with the "Faculty Chair" award upon graduation.


Career

After graduating from OCAD, Pen had her first solo art show at The Board of Directors in Toronto. The spotlight gave her the opportunity to also showcase her work at XPACE Gallery in conjunction with the CONTACT Photography Festival in Canada and a solo show at the Society of Arts in Bermuda. Her art show titled "Deja Vu 1965" in Bermuda caught the attention of art critic Charles Zuill, who compared her works to that of post-impressionist artist
Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...
.


Artistic work

Her artwork ''Erasures'', influenced by the history of the Cambodian genocide and the
Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
regime, was featured in the 2012 Bermuda Biennial. Her artwork ''Grooming Goods'', which spoke to
slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
and
consumerism Consumerism is a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon that is typical of industrialized societies. It is characterized by the continuous acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing quantities. In contemporary consumer society, the ...
, was selected and featured in the 2014 International Bermuda Biennial. Her ''Self-Portrait'' and ''Family'' artwork series, which also comments on her family history with the Cambodian genocide, were featured in the 2015 Charman exhibition at the Museum of Masterworks. She was also previously awarded the 2013 Charman Prize for the artist with "Best Source of Inspiration". Her artwork ''Last Breath'' featured in the 2016 Bermuda Biennial.


Political and social work

In 2006, Pen became involved with June Callwood Centre (formerly known as Jessie's Centre) and began advocating for the rights of young mothers and the protection of young girls from sexual abuse. The same year, Pen explicitly spoke out for
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
and addressed the North York Community Council, the City of Toronto government, and the City of North York to provide adequate housing to young single mothers in the city of Toronto and North York. Her advocacy was challenged by the Bayview community, but the city councilors' vote resulted in the approval of the building permits. In 2016, Pen was appointed to serve on the Human Rights Commission as a commissioner in Bermuda. As the Human Rights Commissioner, Pen held special interests in
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
,
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...
and
education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
. Also in 2016, Pen founded the international advocacy group called Women's A.C.T (action, change, today) This organization is about equality, justice, empowerment and support for women who are survivors of sexual assault, violence and domestic abuse. Notably and controversially, on April 9, 2021, VICE Media Group published an article titled, "These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again," featuring photos of Tuol Sleng victims with their faces manipulated — erased and subjectively colorized — by Matt Loughrey, a "self-taught artist". The photos were used without the community's consent, including many of the surviving family members of those murdered at the Tuol Sleng execution site. Pen, along with other members of the Cambodian community, launched an international petition demanding that Loughrey and VICE Media Group issue an apology to the Cambodian community. The petition amassed over 10,000 signatures worldwide, with press releases in the ''New York Times'' ''Washington Post'', BBC News, and ''Southeast Asian Globe''. The petition received worldwide support and direct support from the Kingdom of Cambodia, which released its own international public statement. Pen and VICE Media Group were able to reconcile the situation through private meetings. VICE issued a public and private apology


Awards

In 2006, Pen was recognized by the City of Toronto government and former Mayor David Miller for her philanthropic work and advocacy for women's rights. In 2016, she was honored with the "World Builder" award from OCAD University, Canada, which is the highest honors for alumni achievement. The "World Builder" award is bestowed upon individuals who have made substantive
humanitarian Humanitarianism is an ideology centered on the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...
contributions to their community and culture; individuals who are active in supporting global causes. In 2017, Pen was nominated as "Woman of the Year" in Bermuda at the Women's Empowerment Summit,Women's Empowerment Summit
/ref> hosted by Today in Bermuda. She was recognized for her ongoing advocacy for women's rights.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pen, Dany Cambodian refugees 1986 births Living people Canadian people of Cambodian descent Canadian women artists Artists from Toronto OCAD University alumni