At an exhibition of Southeast Asian artists in Hanoi, visitors areinvited to be part of the performance. Singaporean artist Amanda Heng'sLet's Chat asks the audience to sit down for a chat with the artist, ineffect becoming a performer in the artwork.
The exhibition –Concept, Context, Contestation - organised by three curators fromSingapore, Indonesia and Thailand, includes work from across the SEAsian region over the last 40 years.
The diverse showing includesperformance art, interactive installations, paintings, photography andsound installations from 14 artists, demonstrating the region's artisticand cultural development for good, and for bad.
At Heng's Let'sChat piece, visitors sat at a round table and cleaned bean sprouts. Thesimple act gave people the chance to talk to each other, face to face.
"Modernisation and urbanisation changed my old village completely in a short time," Heng said.
"In the 1990s, it was easy to see villagers gather, talk, play, joke, share problems and work together. But now, they don't.
"Foryoung people who have jobs in big cities, they may not realise thedifference, but for old people like my mother and her neighbours, wholive in villages, they feel the change clearly," she said.
Hengsaid the way people communicate has changed, modernised and lost itspersonal connection. Even though Heng doesn't speak Vietnamese andvisitors don't speak her language, they still create a community aroundthe table.
The exhibition was first held at the Bangkok Art andCulture Centre (BACC) last year. The BACC then co-operated with theGoethe Institute to organise bringing the interactive event to Hanoi.
Thecurators hope that visitors will not just passively enjoy the artworks,but actively work to understand them and even disagree with them.
"Youwill see several pieces that invite the audience to interact with theworks, not as a gimmick, but as a way of involving the public in theideas that they advance," said curator Iola Lenzi.
"Indeed, some pieces do not function unless the audience interacts with it, activating it through participation," she said.
ChatvichaiPromadhattavedi, board member and secretary of the BACC, emphasised theimportance of critical thinking from both artists and audience.
Thisapproach is important for defining Southeast Asian contemporary artthat has developed over several generations and across the region.
"Throughcontests and discussions, our values are redefined," Chatvichai said."Societies where dialogues and exchange happens amongst their citizensare the winning ones."
"Without differing opinions andalternatives, a society is all the poorer in moving forward. In thecontext of Southeast Asia, we live in a hugely vibrant region of theworld. Cultural redefining that keeps in step with progress is the wayforward for our common and sustained prosperity," he said.
At theexhibition, curator Lenzi chaired an art talk on June 18 in whichregional artists discussed the exhibition's concept and ways to initiatesimilar exhibitions in Southeast Asia.
Art journalist Dao MaiTrang, one of the panelists, agreed with Chatvichai. She said bothsympathy and opposition to artwork makes artists and audience think andchange their minds.
"Critical thinking is encouraged," she said,"different opinions on an issue create diversity in the society. Ibelieve that a diverse society develops sustainably."
Trangsuggested, "Like Heng of Singapore, Vietnamese artists should be moreopen to clearing away the audience's shyness and hesitation, and lurethem to approach the artwork and express their opinion."
The exhibition will run until the end of the month at the Goethe Institute, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc street, Hanoi.-VNA
The exhibition –Concept, Context, Contestation - organised by three curators fromSingapore, Indonesia and Thailand, includes work from across the SEAsian region over the last 40 years.
The diverse showing includesperformance art, interactive installations, paintings, photography andsound installations from 14 artists, demonstrating the region's artisticand cultural development for good, and for bad.
At Heng's Let'sChat piece, visitors sat at a round table and cleaned bean sprouts. Thesimple act gave people the chance to talk to each other, face to face.
"Modernisation and urbanisation changed my old village completely in a short time," Heng said.
"In the 1990s, it was easy to see villagers gather, talk, play, joke, share problems and work together. But now, they don't.
"Foryoung people who have jobs in big cities, they may not realise thedifference, but for old people like my mother and her neighbours, wholive in villages, they feel the change clearly," she said.
Hengsaid the way people communicate has changed, modernised and lost itspersonal connection. Even though Heng doesn't speak Vietnamese andvisitors don't speak her language, they still create a community aroundthe table.
The exhibition was first held at the Bangkok Art andCulture Centre (BACC) last year. The BACC then co-operated with theGoethe Institute to organise bringing the interactive event to Hanoi.
Thecurators hope that visitors will not just passively enjoy the artworks,but actively work to understand them and even disagree with them.
"Youwill see several pieces that invite the audience to interact with theworks, not as a gimmick, but as a way of involving the public in theideas that they advance," said curator Iola Lenzi.
"Indeed, some pieces do not function unless the audience interacts with it, activating it through participation," she said.
ChatvichaiPromadhattavedi, board member and secretary of the BACC, emphasised theimportance of critical thinking from both artists and audience.
Thisapproach is important for defining Southeast Asian contemporary artthat has developed over several generations and across the region.
"Throughcontests and discussions, our values are redefined," Chatvichai said."Societies where dialogues and exchange happens amongst their citizensare the winning ones."
"Without differing opinions andalternatives, a society is all the poorer in moving forward. In thecontext of Southeast Asia, we live in a hugely vibrant region of theworld. Cultural redefining that keeps in step with progress is the wayforward for our common and sustained prosperity," he said.
At theexhibition, curator Lenzi chaired an art talk on June 18 in whichregional artists discussed the exhibition's concept and ways to initiatesimilar exhibitions in Southeast Asia.
Art journalist Dao MaiTrang, one of the panelists, agreed with Chatvichai. She said bothsympathy and opposition to artwork makes artists and audience think andchange their minds.
"Critical thinking is encouraged," she said,"different opinions on an issue create diversity in the society. Ibelieve that a diverse society develops sustainably."
Trangsuggested, "Like Heng of Singapore, Vietnamese artists should be moreopen to clearing away the audience's shyness and hesitation, and lurethem to approach the artwork and express their opinion."
The exhibition will run until the end of the month at the Goethe Institute, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc street, Hanoi.-VNA
