Dinh Q. Lê
Straight No.6, 2018
Fuji Professional Color Paper
Original Sizes Available:
110 x 110 cm
110 x 110 cm
This new series of photo-weavings explore the role that the legalization of the internet in Vietnam since 1997 has played on the sexual revolution within the country. Witnessing the availability...
This new series of photo-weavings explore the role that the legalization of the internet in Vietnam since 1997 has played on the sexual revolution within the country. Witnessing the availability of the internet since the 1990s and surprisingly non-censored X- rated sites, Lê likens a direct correlation to Vietnam’s sexual liberation and a change in the society’s moral attitude toward sexuality to these sites.
Lê explains, “To own, to show, to shoot pornography is not allowed in Vietnam. But curiously, none of the major international pornography websites are blocked. Perhaps, it was decided that it is best to allow the access of porn to keep the people busy rather than thinking too much. With a blind eye to enforcing the anti-pornography law, everyone in Vietnam had access to pornography out of curiosity, it thus had completely changed society’s moral attitude toward sexuality. There aren’t anymore the same stigmas of virginity before marriage and the gay community’s sexual practices also became more open, more active, and more accepting all because of what they see in pornography online.”
Lê wanted to touch on this subject since more than ten years ago, however photo labs in Vietnam refused to print the imagery even in the name of “art.” Recent acquisition of a large format printer allowed him to surpass this barrier, and start work on the series. Lê ascertains that this body of work, Skin On Skin, is a celebration of the sexual revolution in Vietnam via the pornography that is widely available on the net to Vietnamese.
Dinh Q. Lê has been making photo-weavings for over two and half decades. Having learned as a child traditional grass-matt weaving he transforms them into tapestries of photographic imagery that intertwines subjects into a visual interplay. The works take time to fully grasp the imagery through the weaving process. The result is a captivating and intricate collage of multiple layers.
SKIN on SKIN by Dinh Q. Le Artist’s Statement
Since the legalization of the internet in Vietnam at the end of 1997. It has played a very big role in the sexual revolution in Vietnam.
"The internet opened up Vietnam to the world. Vietnamese were able to access all types of information. Eventually, the Vietnamese government started to blocked internet sites with "corruptible" content, like the BBC website and many others.
To own, to show, to shoot pornography is not allowed in Vietnam. But curiously, none of the major international pornography websites are blocked. Perhaps, the government decided that it is best to allow the access of porn to keep the people busy rather than thinking too much.
With the government turning a blind eye to enforcing the anti-pornography law, everyone in Vietnam accessed pornography out of curiosity, for sexual pleasure and it completely changed Vietnam society’s moral attitude toward sexuality.
Twenty years ago, women were expected to be virgins until they get married. Today, young unmarried women are as sexually active as their male counterparts. Very high percentage of high school kids, boys and girls, are now sexually active. There is no more stigma of loosing one's virginity for young unmarried Vietnamese women. The gay community’s sexual practices also became more open, more active, and more accepting all because of what they see in pornography on the net.
This body of work, Skin On Skin, is a celebration of the sexual revolution in Vietnam via the pornography that is widely available on the net to Vietnamese. There are very little to no professional pornography images produced by Vietnamese. We still consume international porn that is available to us on the net, thus, it is why this body of work uses only international pornography images.
Why now and not ten or 15 years ago when the sexual revolution begins? I actually wanted to do this project about 10 years ago. But I just could not get the photo labs to print these pornography images. It was illegal and still illegal today for them to produce/ print these images so they refused to do so for me, not even in the name of “Art”. But last year I bought an Epson large format printer and no longer dependent on the lab to print for me.
Lê explains, “To own, to show, to shoot pornography is not allowed in Vietnam. But curiously, none of the major international pornography websites are blocked. Perhaps, it was decided that it is best to allow the access of porn to keep the people busy rather than thinking too much. With a blind eye to enforcing the anti-pornography law, everyone in Vietnam had access to pornography out of curiosity, it thus had completely changed society’s moral attitude toward sexuality. There aren’t anymore the same stigmas of virginity before marriage and the gay community’s sexual practices also became more open, more active, and more accepting all because of what they see in pornography online.”
Lê wanted to touch on this subject since more than ten years ago, however photo labs in Vietnam refused to print the imagery even in the name of “art.” Recent acquisition of a large format printer allowed him to surpass this barrier, and start work on the series. Lê ascertains that this body of work, Skin On Skin, is a celebration of the sexual revolution in Vietnam via the pornography that is widely available on the net to Vietnamese.
Dinh Q. Lê has been making photo-weavings for over two and half decades. Having learned as a child traditional grass-matt weaving he transforms them into tapestries of photographic imagery that intertwines subjects into a visual interplay. The works take time to fully grasp the imagery through the weaving process. The result is a captivating and intricate collage of multiple layers.
SKIN on SKIN by Dinh Q. Le Artist’s Statement
Since the legalization of the internet in Vietnam at the end of 1997. It has played a very big role in the sexual revolution in Vietnam.
"The internet opened up Vietnam to the world. Vietnamese were able to access all types of information. Eventually, the Vietnamese government started to blocked internet sites with "corruptible" content, like the BBC website and many others.
To own, to show, to shoot pornography is not allowed in Vietnam. But curiously, none of the major international pornography websites are blocked. Perhaps, the government decided that it is best to allow the access of porn to keep the people busy rather than thinking too much.
With the government turning a blind eye to enforcing the anti-pornography law, everyone in Vietnam accessed pornography out of curiosity, for sexual pleasure and it completely changed Vietnam society’s moral attitude toward sexuality.
Twenty years ago, women were expected to be virgins until they get married. Today, young unmarried women are as sexually active as their male counterparts. Very high percentage of high school kids, boys and girls, are now sexually active. There is no more stigma of loosing one's virginity for young unmarried Vietnamese women. The gay community’s sexual practices also became more open, more active, and more accepting all because of what they see in pornography on the net.
This body of work, Skin On Skin, is a celebration of the sexual revolution in Vietnam via the pornography that is widely available on the net to Vietnamese. There are very little to no professional pornography images produced by Vietnamese. We still consume international porn that is available to us on the net, thus, it is why this body of work uses only international pornography images.
Why now and not ten or 15 years ago when the sexual revolution begins? I actually wanted to do this project about 10 years ago. But I just could not get the photo labs to print these pornography images. It was illegal and still illegal today for them to produce/ print these images so they refused to do so for me, not even in the name of “Art”. But last year I bought an Epson large format printer and no longer dependent on the lab to print for me.