Christine Huhn

While descendants of immigrants who arrived through Ellis Island grow up hearing its history, many on the West Coast know far less about Angel Island. When Andi Wong invited me to participate in the Angel Island Insight Project in 2021, I had little knowledge of the island. We quickly bonded over our families’ immigration journeys, my Russian Jewish family arriving through Ellis Island and Andi’s Chinese family through Angel Island.

I was drawn to the island’s landscape, where native California oaks and invasive eucalyptus trees subtly reflect the deep imbalance in how European and Chinese immigrants were treated. The island’s vegetation and structural ruins embody its layered history and passage of time. Angel Island has become a deep inspiration to me and my work, connecting back to my Jewish heritage. I was surprised that many of my friends, including San Francisco natives, had never visited the island.

I have always been interested in visiting lesser-known landscapes and photographing their histories. Highlighting underrepresented communities, histories, and places is central to my work. My practice is research-informed, combining photography and historic preservation to capture the transient landscape. I spent multiple nights on the island, photographing at sunrise and past dusk, times inaccessible to day visitors. Working with medium format film forces me to slow down, spending time in the landscape. Angel Island is a place of memory, shaped by displacement and resilience. The goal of this work is to share Angel Island’s history while making it more accessible to the public.