Vietnamese artist Bui Cong Khanh explains Vase number 3, “Modern Life in Vietnam has two main points, either to follow within a socio-political framework, guideline or direction or to want freedom. Within the vase the hand raising are the followers and the women showering are the freedom seekers. Bui's work addresses history and contemporary society in Vietnam and the impact that global capital is having upon it. The blue-and-white porcelain vases that are both traditional and contemporary combine the dichotomy of the fast changing society of his country. Bui’s vases address what he calls ‘the character of the present’, the sounds and sights of daily life. Traditional forms interplay with symbols of quotidian life--flip flops and coca-cola cans are encased by classic Vietnamese ornamentation; Buddha and his own self portrait are just some of the images upon his complicated narratives that embellish the vessels.