KVT in the Undercurrent

Heavy metal at the Viet Arts Center

UNDERCURRENT is an interesting group exhibition.

 At first my favorites were the really strong Pressure pieces by Nguyen Ngoc Lam, the youngest of the exhibitors. The message sent to the viewer is blatantly obvious and can be interpreted from a variety of levels. The squeezed books could be a censorship statement whereas a student studying for final exams could have a more personal interpretation. The mix of mediums (paper and steel. Wood and steel) is texturally effective. The totally pressured piece is extremely powerful and could be used as a social justice statement by different groups any where in the world and on a personal level is a familiar experience for everyone. I’d really love to see a solo exhibition

At first the Base pieces by Dao Chau Hai were a bit too reminiscent of a heavy industrial factory but on my second visit they were the bits that really grabbed my attention. In a funny way they have a great beauty and you want to be able to climb all over them. Of all the Vietnamese sculptural work I’ve seen this year, these are a standout. I guess you could read all sorts of things into the shapes ann marks on these heavy, industrial blocks or you can just appreciate them as three dimensional objects. They’d fit well in interior spaces, courtyards or gardens. Impressive work.

Everyone would recognize the whimsical pieces by Nguyen Huy Thinh. Most of us no longer see the plethora of electric wires that stretch along every street and across the face of every building. It’s not until a newcomer draws our attention to them that we wonder anew at how electricity works amidst the spaghetti tangles. The looping cables serve as aerial highways for rats and ants. I can’t imagine how we’ll come to terms with the city once the wires are put underground and we no longer have a haphazard, latticed view of the heights and the sky. Thinh’s skylines are swooped with black cables and are delightful. His use of glass in two bits make a great statement about modernity and the city’s electrical  antiquity. Take the sculptures away from an Hanoian  context and they’re still be very beautiful.

Installations by Phan Phuong Dong and Khong Do Tuyen round out a worthwhile exhibition.

The title of the exhibition and the exhibition statement are a bit perplexing though most of the work on show is not at all.

Have a nice summer break!