» Reed Island (Red River) Talk Series, IN:ACT 2022

Nguyễn Art Foundation proudly co-sponsors Reed Island (Red River) Talk Series at IN:ACT 2022. IN:ACT is a long-term program with a focus on performance art initiated by Nha San Collective in 2010. IN:ACT 2022 is part of Nha San Collective’s Ben project for Documenta 15, realized with significant contributions from Le Thuan Uyen, Duonng Nghiem, Vo Tuan Son,Duan Museum, in partnership and with support from Nguyễn Art Foundation from 1–3 September 2022. 

From Á Space: IN:ACT 2022 includes a series of live performances that took place at WH22, Kassel, Germany on 1 September 2022. Additionally, a diverse program of talks, performances, and film screenings also unfolded on boats traveling from Ngoc Thuy wharf to Reed Island (Red River), as well as at Nha San Ngoc Thuy and Nguyen Manh Duc’s pottery studio in Bat Trang Village from 1–3 September 2022. The Reed Island talk series include: 

Guerilla Tactics In Contemporary Art Practices

The term ‘guerrilla’ carries significant geo-political connotations. While the concept of ‘Guerrilla Art’ emerged in the 1960s, its roots extend beyond Western artistic phenomena. Prior to becoming an art movement, “guerrilla” had already played a prominent role in the history of Vietnam’s military—a nation marked by wars against hegemonic ambitions spanning ancient to modern times, from East to West. In this context, ‘guerrilla’ signifies a strategic approach, the tactic of employing the small against the large, using minimal forces to navigate seemingly insurmountable situations. ‘Guerrilla’ tactics rely not on quantity but on endurance, wisdom, and the ability to seize opportunities to disrupt or dismantle a chain, thereby establishing an equal or even reversed power dynamic.  

Artistically, the term guerrilla surfaced within the contemporary art when discursive perspectives (in the vein of M. Foucault) began questioning power structures and the stability of artistic order, or when historiography (in the vein of J. Rancière) linked artistic landscape to events and moments of equality.   

For this discussion, we are honored to have the participation of Nguyen Manh Duc (commonly known as Duc Nha San), Xuan Ha, and Le Thuan Uyen, as these curators, artists, and practitioners continue to persistently engage in shaping and cultivating our art scene [using their own guerrilla tactics]. 

A discussion with:
Nguyen Manh Duc
Le Thuan Uyen
Xuan Ha 

Moderator:
Ngo Thanh 

 Appropriation – On “Recycling” In Contemporary Art Practice

“Appropriation” refers to an artistic method wherein artists borrow elements from the expressions of other artists – including form, color palette, and meaning – and renew them through personal interpretation. This concept is mirrored in the works of many generations of painters who have “recycled” the classic Pièta composition in Western painting. Sometimes, this act of “borrowing” even extends beyond the boundaries of art and into everyday life (with found objects), advertising and mass media. This discussion seeks to broaden the scope of what it means to recycle, borrow or appropriate in artistic practices beyond performance art. Working with different forms of appropriation, the three panelists and their practices will illuminate the perspectives of creatives striving to engage in dialogue with history and pre-existing contexts. Nguyen Trinh Thi will share insights from her filmmaking and visual arts practice, Lai Dieu Ha will offer perspectives from her career spanning performance to painting, and Bill Nguyen will contribute from his experiences in both performance and curatorial practice. 

A discussion with:
Nguyen Trinh Thi
Bill Nguyen
Lai Dieu Ha 

Moderator:
Linh Le 

On ‘Project Art’

“Project art” is a type of visual art committed to the written word, a new genre of contemporary art that is avant-garde and conceptual. Project art only exists in the form of plans, which are fictional in nature, and can be visualized as, for example, an article or diagram.

The standard for evaluating project art is not whether the plan could realistically be carried out or not. Rather, the work only exists as a set of instructions or treatise. A good work of project art depends on its ability to disconnect text and reality: the greater the disconnect, the greater the work’s value. But some believe the opposite to be true, that if the plan seems unrealistic but could actually be implemented, then the artwork’s value is all the greater. 

A discussion with:
Nguyen Huy An
Tran Hau Yen The 

Moderator:
Vu Duc Toan 

For more information on the project and the participating artists, please click here.