HCMC – Exhibition “Sketching Vietnamese History” by Quach Phong

Opening: Sat 09 Jul 2016, 6 pm
Exhibition: 09 Jul – 02 Aug 2016
HCMC Fine Arts Museum

From the organizer:

‘Sketching Vietnamese History’ is the first large-scale solo exhibition by senior artist Quach Phong. This exhibition showcases the remarkable ambition of a man who, as an artist, has witnessed major scenes of war; endured the struggle of a nation in its resistance against differing coercions; and assisted the growth of artistic networks in Vietnam since 1975.

A project already 2 years in production, ‘Sketching Vietnamese History’ showcases but a fraction of what Quach Phong dreams this entire endeavor to be. On view you will find two (out of three) paper scrolls, each more than 50-meter long, with gouache sketch of events from the legendary era of Hung Kings 2000BC until the early Le Trung Hung era in the 1500s. A 1-hour long animation will show the entire 3 scrolls. The first 12 lacquer panels that bring these scroll-sketches to life, and an extensive interview with the artist on his artistic vision will highlight the exhibition. Quach Phong’s ongoing labor of love is envisaged to eventually depict the history of Vietnam to the present day, determined to produce these images as a major public art piece – as a monument to Vietnam.

‘Sketching Vietnamese History’ is curated by Dinh Q. Le, Zoe Butt, and Nguyen Bich Tra.