Lai Dieu Ha
Lai Dieu Ha (b. 1976, Vietnam) was born in Thai Nguyen to an artist family and graduated from Vietnam Fine Arts University in 2005. Dynamic and multi-faceted, Dieu Ha is recognized as one of Vietnam’s most outstanding performance artists, often remembered by works that have received the most controversy in public opinion. Dieu Ha uses her own body as a subject of research and practice – experimenting and challenging its limitations on the one hand, while also inviting and questioning the audience’s participation on the other. Embedded in her often-visceral acts are concerns with the threshold of pain, social constraints on the female body, and the possibilities of corporeal transformation. Besides performance art, Dieu Ha also uses painting, sculpture, installation, photography and video art to explore the ambiguity of trauma and psychological issues often ignored in contemporary life, drawing together interrelated contemplations on cycles of life and death, creation and destruction.
Her notable exhibitions include Psychodrama Therapy, Rapid Pulse International Performance Art Festival, Chicago, USA, 2014; Mind, Flesh, Matter. Sàn Art, Ho Chi Minh City, 2014. In 2015 Dieu Ha hold the first solo show Conservation of vitality with Cuc Gallery, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Studio Visit with Lai Dieu Ha
After many years, in this interview, Lai Dieu Ha opens up about two controversial yet pivotal performances in her artistic journey: Rise and Hurt in here. While Rise – like a ‘shooting star’ – came and went, challenging perceptions of the female body, Hurt in here marked a turning point when she realized that performance art needed to transcend beyond isolated, momentary actions or merely visual-shocking presence. Alongside her broader reflections on Vietnam’s performance art scene, Dieu Ha also shares insights about the next chapter in her career. Drawing from her academic training at the Vietnam Fine Arts University, she has returned to painting not only to document and archive her performances but also as a means to continue exploring and rediscovering their nature and meaning.
This video is part of a series of interviews by Nguyễn Art Foundation.