Light and Belief
Director: Dinh Q Lê (Vietnam) | 2012, commissioned by dOCUMENTA (13)| 37 minutes | Vietnamese with English subtitles
Screening followed by a discussion with Dinh Q. Lê (in English)
Fri 6 Sep, 6.30pm, A Space, Asia Art Archive, 10/F, Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
Light and Belief presents eleven senior Vietnamese artists, some of whom were soldiers during the Vietnam War and others who spent a great deal of time in the war zone. Parallel to the ‘official’ imagery they were producing, they also produced private drawings – intimate portraits of soldiers and civilians, mundane everyday activities, and atmospheric landscapes that delivered another view of the war, in their longings for some normality. Light and Belief takes an intimate look at the role of these artists and their art.
Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Dinh Q Lê was born in Ha-Tien, Vietnam. His artistic practice consistently challenges how our memories are recalled within the context of contemporary life. Whether his work highlights the dominance of film and media in the creation of historical legacy, addresses the confluence of cultural tradition and contemporary tragedy through his woven photographs, repurposes everyday urban objects into artistic wonders, or documents the unchronicled stories of those who endured the first helicopter war, his artistic investigations elucidate a commitment to the artistic process as a means of excavating history, and uncovering and revealing alternate ideas of loss and redemption. His work has been exhibited worldwide at institutions including Bellevue Art Museum, Washington State; Asia Society, New York; and Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. He was also included in the 55th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen (2009), City Visions Festival in Mechelen, Belgium (2009), Singapore Biennale (2008), ‘Thermocline of Art’ (2007), ZKM, Germany, the 5th Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (2006), Gwangju Biennale (2006), and Venice Biennale (2003). He also participated in dOCUMENTA (13) in 2012. Besides being an artist, Lê also co-founded Sàn Art, an active non-profit gallery in Vietnam. In 2010, Lê was named Visual Art Laureate by the Prince Claus Fund, Amsterdam.
Light and Belief presents eleven senior Vietnamese artists, some of whom were soldiers during the Vietnam War and others who spent a great deal of time in the war zone. Parallel to the ‘official’ imagery they were producing, they also produced private drawings – intimate portraits of soldiers and civilians, mundane everyday activities, and atmospheric landscapes that delivered another view of the war, in their longings for some normality. Light and Belief takes an intimate look at the role of these artists and their art.
Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Dinh Q Lê was born in Ha-Tien, Vietnam. His artistic practice consistently challenges how our memories are recalled within the context of contemporary life. Whether his work highlights the dominance of film and media in the creation of historical legacy, addresses the confluence of cultural tradition and contemporary tragedy through his woven photographs, repurposes everyday urban objects into artistic wonders, or documents the unchronicled stories of those who endured the first helicopter war, his artistic investigations elucidate a commitment to the artistic process as a means of excavating history, and uncovering and revealing alternate ideas of loss and redemption. His work has been exhibited worldwide at institutions including Bellevue Art Museum, Washington State; Asia Society, New York; and Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. He was also included in the 55th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen (2009), City Visions Festival in Mechelen, Belgium (2009), Singapore Biennale (2008), ‘Thermocline of Art’ (2007), ZKM, Germany, the 5th Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (2006), Gwangju Biennale (2006), and Venice Biennale (2003). He also participated in dOCUMENTA (13) in 2012. Besides being an artist, Lê also co-founded Sàn Art, an active non-profit gallery in Vietnam. In 2010, Lê was named Visual Art Laureate by the Prince Claus Fund, Amsterdam.
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