The chest to bequeath
exhibited
+ Ifa Gallery , “Connect: Art Scene Vietnam” , Berlin ( Dec 18, 2009 – Apr 05, 2010 ) & Stuttgart ( Sep 24, 2010 – Oct 31, 2010 ) , Germany [+link]
+ “Mekong Art And Culture Project” , Laos , Thailand , Cambodia , Vietnam – 2008
A chest made of iron 40(W)x70(L)x30(H) cm with an epoxy concretion containing fake roses and real roses. Total weight is 57 kg.
A video art in DVD recording the process of concretion that happened on the roof of my house.
Installing indication :
The chest is open. A soft yellow light focuses to the inside of the chest. Video art work is projected onto the wall behind the chest.
Concept :
In the past people discriminated between the fake and the real. Fake goods were held in contempt. Real goods composed the basis of values, especially when we look at the past through the eyes of the future.
Nowadays, fake goods are commonly used in every realm and we even witness now and then the rise of them in everyday life. Beside the real goods they do have their own value. The basis of society is a mixture of the fake and the real. The fake and the real are walking hand in hand to the future.
Vietnamese used chests to store their souvenirs, including family bequest. Common people like chests made of iron.
I bought an iron chest in which I tried to make a concretion containing a jumble of real roses and fake roses, as a bequest to the next generation. That experimentation provided an unpredictable outcome. You will see the process in the following video art work.
An overview clip of “The chest to bequeath” from Ly Hoang on Vimeo.
