0395A.ĐC (bilingual)
- in Published
Published in conjunction with Vietnamese artist Ly Hoàng Ly’s first ever large-scale solo exhibition in her home country (hosted at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre, Ho Chi Minh City), ‘0395A.ĐC’ is a bilingual, beautifully illustrated, 174-page color catalog presenting select artworks spanning the different stages of Ly’s career – including painting, sculpture, photography, artist’s book, video art, performance art, installation, and a 21-ton steel public artwork. Undoubtedly the first to be manifested and exhibited publicly in Vietnam, Ly’s on-going project (started in 2011) and exhibition ‘0395A.ĐC’ chronicle the artist’s tireless inquiry into not only Vietnam’s turbulent history of displacement and migration, but also the current global struggle of human (im)migration. Drawing on fragments of Vietnam’s (and other countries’) past tales of exodus, as well as her own experience as a modern-day migrant, Ly’s art attempts to give ‘voice’ to those who have been made absent; warning us of the contested nature of the making and remembering of history, whilst also creating a space to honour the millions of lives who similarly long for a home that exists, but is no longer possible to return to. Produced in close collaboration with the artist herself, this definitive publication collects nearly ten years of Ly’s creative labour, including the artist’s own writing, notes and sketches; photographic and literary reference and archival materials; technical drawings and photo documentation of the making of ‘boat home boat’ – Ly’s 21-ton steel public artwork, her most ambitious piece to date; and detail and installation photography of all artworks. This publication features an essay by the exhibition curator Bill Nguyễn, an in-depth interview with the artist by media producer Fabiola Büchele and Bill Nguyễn, a note by video artist Tirtza Even, and an afterward by Artistic Director of The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre Zoe Butt.