» Mid-July #2

Mid-July #2 is part of the Arca Noa exhibition by artist Oanh Phi Phi, held at Manzi Art Space in 2022.

“Arca Noa attempts to hold still and record, in lacquer form, our relationship to the earth and our will towards the domestication and objectification of nature around us. The works are conceived as vestiges of this epoch currently hanging in delicate balance and as iconography of its human centered gaze.” – Oanh Phi Phi

Depicting Vietnamese traditional dishes on a full, round ceremonial tray, the work Mid-July #2 transport us back to warm moments of reunion with loved ones, when the vast external world seems to leave to make space for intimate conversations shared around the family meal. In Vietnamese culture, the Mid-July festival is also known as Vu Lan or Tiet Trung Nguyen – an occasion dedicated to filial piety and to honoring one’s ancestors, grandparents, parents and those who have parted. A fulfilling Mid-July festival not only expresses the descendants’ deep respect for their forebears but also symbolizes the eternal reunion of the living and the deceased; the meeting of the moon, the earth, and the cosmos; and the intertwining of past, present, and future.

Diligently embedding memories into each and every single layer of lacquer as if performing a sacred ritual, Oanh Phi Phi preserves in Mid-July #2 the enduring essence of family, tradition, and cultural heritage passed down through generations.

(Edited from a text excerpt by Manzi)