HCMC – Exhibition “Echoing Nostalgia. Collecting Countermemory”

Exhibition: 26 Jul – 05 Sep 2013
Artist Talk with Nguyen Trinh Thi: Sat 27 Jul, 4 – 5.30 pm
Sàn Art

From the organizer:

‘Every twig leaves a story in break- ing
Each man only a handful of dirt’

Taken from the short poem BT Shaw wrote in response to visual artist Nguyen Trinh Thi’s work ‘Song to the front’, these lines could be read as a prelude to ‘Echoing Nostalgia’. Collecting Countermemory’.

‘Nostalgia’ is an official scientific term of psychological studies, refering to the prevailing psychological condition of humanity and its contemplation of their roots or reflections upon their past. Diagnosis of nostalgia in the field of social psychology has undergone substantial developments since the 19th Century from being perceived as neurological disorder and depression to being employed as a therapeutic treatment . To social scientists, including anthropologists, historians and artists, when it comes to research and creative activity, nostalgia remains a term that is both debatable and inspirational. Nostalgia occurs as a result of dissatisfaction with the present, described as highly personal – dramatic – romantic – full of disguise. Such character is a subconscious approach to history that clouds the truth. When a community consists of individuals each suffering this nostalgia there is a collective attitude that seeks to escape what is in front of them, subsequently denying the possibilities of a future. Nostalgia becomes one of the symptoms of ‘crowd pyschology’, stereotypically considered innocuous, like a sentimental novel. However, as a side-effect, nostalgia is being commercialized where cultural practice of the past is idolized, evident in such things as faux antiques; while on the other hand it is a lifestyle choice, such as the transformation of colonial villas for chic cafes selling photographs of a bygone era.

‘Echoing Nostalgia. Collecting Countermemory’ is a unique exhibition that immerses the audience in a space where the line between the past and the present is blurred. Artists Pham Ngoc Lan, John Monteith and Nguyen Trinh Thi each participate with a video artwork, the visual experiences of which are interwoven with BT Shaw’s counter-responses in poetry and translation work by Ho Lieu. In this exhibition, the chronological progression from past to present is no longer completely linear. The common perspective on past values, classic beauty and historical forms of ‘unconditional’ belief will be challenged by the ‘countermemories’ of each individual: the visual artist, the poet and the spectator. In terms of format, all three artists explore the synergy between picture and sound in video works. In terms of idea, they all reflect the similarities and the differences in historical values at various points in time.

Pham Ngoc Lan, born 1986, is a visual artist based in Hanoi. Graduated from Hanoi Architecture University with a degree in Urban Planning, Lan possesses a historical and social perspective on the relations between the collective and the individual. In ‘The Story of Ones’ 2011, images of Hanoi in transition from the past to the future, from classic tranquility to modern chaos, is projected with the sounds of Vietnam’s national radio.

Canadian visual artist John Monteith, born 1973, is currently based between Berlin, New York and Toronto. In his video ‘Pyongyang, North Korea, 5 June 101 (2012) 5:00 – 5:06:48am’ (2012), filmed in North Korea, the work takes the audience to a serene and peaceful dawn in Pyongyang. As the morning ripens and the fog disperses, the humanless city evokes ideas of abandonment and devestation. The echo of a song can be heard celebrating the power of the Korean masses and its former leaders.

Nguyen Trinh Thi, a documentary filmmaker and visual artist, born 1973, is based in Hanoi. She revisits the past with ‘Song to the front’ (2011). This work refers to the 1973 classic motion picture with the same name; overlayed with the scores from the classic ballet ‘The Rite of Spring’ by Stravinsky.In this work, Trinh Thi transforms romantic and melodious movie scenes to intense and overwhelming musical acts, thereby altering the present from its past.

BT Shaw, is a poet who wrote a series of poems in response to the three aforementioned video artworks, is from the USA and currently lives in Ho Chi Minh City. Her publication ‘This Dirty Little Heart’ won the ‘Blue Lynx Poetry Prize’ in 2007. The poems written by BT Shaw for this exhibition were translated by Ho Lieu – a young interpreter with specialised interest in feminism.

The exhibition opens Tuesday – Saturday, 10.30am – 6.30pm.

Discussion with Nguyen Trinh Thi ‘The past in words and images’

Artist – filmmaker Nguyễn Trinh Thi will discuss the similarities and differences between written text and visual art (video art, film, photography) in the re-reading of the past and her experimentation with chronicled and historical material to form new creative artworks.

Nguyễn Trinh Thi is one of the most active documentary filmmakers and contemporary video artists from Vietnam. She founded Doclab – the hub for experimental filmmaking and video art in Hanoi.