A Relevant Suggestion
Phuong Lien Vu
Courtesy of the artist, Hoang Duong Cam
Those familiar with contemporary Vietnamese art will likely remember at least one of several installations, video or environmental artworks by Hoang Duong Cam, a young Hanoi-born and educated artist based in Ho Chi Minh City since 2001. After three years of maintaining a relatively low profile in the Ho Chi Minh City art community, he has recently made a strong debut with a solo exhibition entitled "Filename.disan" at Galerie Quynh, one of the few local serious contemporary art galleries.
"Filename.disan" is a curious title. Referencing the commingling of technology and culture ("disan" can be translated as "heritage" in the Vietnamese language), the title can be interpreted as a series of computer files, each with its own content yet possessing a common cultural attribute. It also reflects the artist’s concern with the cultural past we inherit — a past that forms the fundamental elements belonging to culture, society and the human condition.
The series includes fifteen paintings, all oil and acrylic on canvas dated 2004. An allusion to cultural layers, each work is created through various layers of paint, which are partially veiled and blurred. The deepest layer is perhaps a girl in an "ao dai," the traditional dress of Vietnam and a symbol of the country’s beauty and culture. Treated differently in each painting, the continuous layers could also refer to a variety of cultural influences. In addition, the most recognizable layer is the image of a sexy, beautiful bra, each painted with different nuances, from the abstract to the intricate, from simple outlines to bold, gestural forms. It is interesting that in some of the works, the bra does not occupy the foreground. The artist seems to be asking viewers: what is in the next cultural layer?
A sense of process is evident in this series. The first work in the series, Filename.disan I is quite simple, suggesting the influence of modern life (advertising and western pop culture) on Vietnamese culture. Continuing through the works, one can see a reference to religion in Filename.disan II and V, for example; one can sense feelings of claustrophobia in Filename.disan VII, VIII and XII or feel a kind of drifting away in Filename.disan X. A common method adopted in many of the works, Cam’s appropriation of art styles and motifs alludes to form and meaning. For example, this appropriation can be seen in the fluid slivers and streaks inspired by Lee Krasner in Filename.disan X or in Jasper Johns’ targets and the decorative motifs used in Chinese craftwork in Filename.disan XV.
Like much of his previous work, Cam’s "Filename.disan" series is a response to the cultural and social transformation occurring in Vietnam. It is neither criticizing nor defending; it is simply a relevant suggestion.
"Filename.disan" by Hoang Duong Cam at Galerie Quynh, Ho Chi Minh City
