THAO NGUYEN PHAN and DIEM PHUNG THI
Selected sculptures by Diem Phung Thi
and
Magical Bows (Lacquered Time) by Thao Nguyen Phan
Watercolor on silk, mother of pearl inlay and lacquer on wood, marble, steel
Lacquer produced in collaboration with artist Đinh Văn Sơn
Installation dimensions variable
2021
In 2009, Thảo Nguyên Phan first encountered Điềm Phùng Thị’s art in Huế at the Điềm Phùng Thị Museum. Drawn to Thị’s sculptural language of working with seven different shapes, in differing configuration; she was also compelled by Thị’s history as a self-taught artist, as a woman, during a time of war. In 2017, Thảo Nguyên created the series ‘Magical Bows’ in direct reference to Điềm Phùng Thị’s unique abstract alphabet.
Driven by narrative-making, and curious as of why the Vietnamese script utilizes the Latin alphabet, Thảo Nguyên gave form to ‘Magical Bows’ after stumbling upon the love tale of Mỵ Châu-Trọng Thuỷ, recounted in one of the first documents written in chữ quốc ngữ (Vietnam's latinized script) by Catechist Bento Thiện in 1659. In ‘Magical Bows’ (Lacquered Time) a series of white marble shapes, reflecting the written ‘tone’ script marks of chữ quốc ngữ lie on the floor as base for a series of wooden lacquered bows. These tone marks, for Thảo Nguyên, were inspired by Điềm Phùng Thị’s seven modules - the basic building blocks of a diverse world of meaning. For Thảo Nguyên, such coded language is akin to fragments of history, especially stories often hidden in multiple places, which can only make sense when they are pieced together. In requesting the art of Điềm Phùng Thị as part of her display in this exhibition, Thảo Nguyên continues a signature thread of her artistic practice whereby historical artifact, literature or method are re-employed and appropriated. With this work she also refers to the exceptional lacquer skills of Vietnamese artisans in World War I, who were brought to France to produce aircrafts to serve the military (the aircraft's wings were coated in lacquer to ensure a lightweight endurance).
Thảo Nguyên Phan once wrote: “[…]I wish to construe a realm of works that are interconnected and diverse in styles and materials, where genres can coexist in a dreamlike, democratic utopia.”[1] Taking on the self-assigned task of ‘curating’ Điềm Phùng Thị, displayed a magical hybridity, innocuous yet equally reverent, that formulates an exhibition within an exhibition. Floating dreamily in the minimalist and elegant world constructed from Điềm Phùng Thị's renowned "seven modules" is a visual and multimedia lexicon, richly embedded in narratives. Placing Thảo Nguyên's works within the inspiration of Điềm Phùng Thị (eg. the furniture here was originally designed by Thị) blurs the boundary between what is 'modern' and 'contemporary' art. Seeking to blur a differentiation based on style - one densely conceptual, the other purely formalist - these two artists being devoted and persistent in their commitment to artistic labor.
[1] Excerpt from Thảo Nguyên Phan's artist statement in her solo exhibition ‘Poetic Amnesia’ curated by Zoe Butt (The Factory, 2017).
Diem Phung Thi
Untitled
1997
Fabric
28,5 x 29 cm
Diem Phung Thi
A Nun Circa 1974
Jade, metal, wood
32 x 11 x 5 cm
Diem Phung Thi
A Baby Watching the Moon
1993
Fabric
110 x 80 cm
Diem Phung Thi
A Baby
1965
Jade, metal bar
15 x 12 x 5,5 cm
This wall module was designed by Thao Nguyen Phan based on one of the seven shapes of Diem Phung Thi “seven modules”. Originally in the exhibition WITHIN / BETWEEN / BENEATH / UPON, it was used to hang artworks of Diem Phung Thi.
At the end of the exhibition period, instead of being demolished like most of wall hanging structures, the wall module was proposed to be relocated by curator Van Do to a rice field in Binh Quoi area, among the few remaining green spaces in Binh Thanh Dist, Saigon. Here it can be slowly decayed within the force of nature.
Warmest thanks to: Lê Thuận Uyên, Vân Đỗ and Phan Đình Hối