The Mekong
Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba | Japan/Vietnam/United States b.1968 | The Ground, the Root, and the Air: The Passing of the Bodhi Tree 2004-2007 | High definition digital video projection, 14:30 minutes, colour, stereo | Collection: The artist | Image courtesy: The Quiet in the Land, Laos/Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo/Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York | Photograph:Yukari Imai
Artists: Bùi Công Khánh, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, Sopheap Pich, Manit Sriwanichpoom, Svay Ken, Tun Win Aung & Wah Nu, Vandy Rattana
Co-organised by Rich Streitmatter-Tran (Vietnam) and Russell Storer (Curator, Contemporary Asian art, Queensland Art Gallery)
The Mekong River is one of the longest rivers in Asia, running from its source in China, through the countries of Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Difficult to navigate, the Mekong has historically formed connections, as well as a border, between the peoples who live along its course. In recent years, with the growth of trade and investment, the development of roads and other communication networks and increased migration and exchanges of people, information and ideas, the region has become more integrated than ever before. The Mekong platform within APT6 presents a vivid, multi-layered view of a complex and rapidly transforming region, a place that is becoming increasingly prominent culturally, politically and economically. Key themes include changing societies and cultures, including tensions between tradition and modernity, and between Buddhist teachings and Western values. The shifting dynamics of nationhood and how this impacts on individuals and society is another concern for artists. The presentation will feature a range of media, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography and video.
Rich Streitmatter-Tran is an artist based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, who works in performance, photography, video and installation, often in collaboration with others. He has written widely on the art of South East Asia, and in 2005–06 he conducted the research project ‘Mediating the Mekong’ with the support of a Martell Contemporary Asian Art Research Grant and the Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong. www.diacritic.org
Bùi Công Khánh | Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba | Sopheap Pich | Manit Sriwanichpoom | Svay Ken | Tun Win Aung & Wah Nu | Vandy Rattana
Video
View The Mekong artists' talk from the APT6 Opening weekend (part 1 of 3) (part 2 of 3) (part 3 of 3)
