» Physicality

Physicality originates from Tuan Mami’s research at the abandoned Pharmaceutical Factory II, formerly operated by the Military Medical Department. Over decades, the chemicals once stored here seeped into the plaster walls, leaving behind a pungent and lingering odor. The artist collected fragments of this plaster, ground them into powder, and mixed them with soil to cultivate various species of cacti – a plant that symbolizes resilience, resistance, and survival.

The work marks a convergence of diverse materials and spatio-temporal fragments: plaster walls bearing the traces of industrial and military history; glass from Utopia – a performance-installation realized by the artist in 2012, now reborn as vessels; and wooden bases from Dong Ky village, emblematic of traditional craftsmanship. Together, these elements form a new entity where the old and the new, life and decay, coexist within a cycle of material reincarnation.

The work is on permanent display at EMASI Van Phuc.