HCMC – Exhibition “Mind, Flesh, Matter”

Opening: Tue 13 May, 6 pm
Artist talk: Thu 15 May, 6.30 pm
Exhibition: 13 May – 07 Aug 2014
Sàn Art

From the organizer:

‘Mind, Flesh, Matter’ by Le Phi Long, Lai Thi Dieu Ha and Nguyen Van Du, the closing exhibition of ‘San Art Laboratory: Session 4’.

The relationship between mind, body and the physical environment has been a constant topic inside the studios of Le Phi Long, Lai Thi Dieu Ha and Nguyen Van Du over the last near 6 months.

Nguyen Van Du found himself transporting back to the studios pounds of fresh beef from a local abattoir, that would be cooked and served with his local flair and then the discussion around the table of artists would turn towards the question of violence in his work. His large-scale canvases reveal a controlled horror in slaughter, thick with gestures of oil in red and pink as if his brush is a knife of destruction.

For Le Phi Long, the exploitation of the land and the upheaving of ancestral communities for socio-economic progress are of particular concern. Long spent much time during his residency with the remaining families who struggle to eke out a living in Can Gio, a UNESCO natural reserve. Working with sculpture, photography, performance and drawing, his art subtly refers to the trauma of industrializing societies where systems of finance govern supreme with irreversible social and natural effects.

Understanding the occurrence and effects of trauma is also of key focus in the art of Lai Thi Dieu Ha, though here her questions are anchored in the intangible world of psychology. Working with industry professionals and their patients, Dieu Ha questions whether such suffering is determined by human gene or social circumstance, utilizing modes of theatre, prop and the dramatization of the self that are inherent methods of psychodrama therapy.

Artist talk

Le Phi Long, Lai Thi Dieu Ha and Nguyen Van Du are three artists from three very different backgrounds and perspectives when it comes to art-making. Come and hear the trials and tribulations of experimentation with material and the complexities of working with others in their desire to explore ideas behind ‘Mind, Flesh, Matter’!