MÌNH: Fairfield City Museum & Gallery, NSW

Phuong Ngo

29 Apr - 14 Oct 2023

Through the work of artists and writers, MÌNH explores Vietnamese and Chinese diasporic life in Australia today, and questions what it means to be who we are now. Presenting 17 contributors, the exhibition reveals these collective memories, yearnings and preoccupations.

MÌNH is an everyday word which refers to our bodies and selves, but it also means us; about who we are as individuals as well as how we exist together.

Dacchi Dang / Christina Huynh / Matt Huynh / Phương Ngô / Đình Huy Nguyễn / James Nguyen / Lucia Tường Vy Nguyễn / Lynn Nguyễn / Kim Phạm / Victoria Pham / Vivian Pham / Hoài Mành Tất / My Lệ Thi / Bic Tieu / Huyen Hac Helen Tran / Maria Trần / Garry Trinh

Curated by Sheila Ngọc Phạm in collaboration with FCMG.

FAIRFIELD CITY MUSEUM & GALLERY

634 The Horsley Drive, Smithfield NSW

About Article 14.1

Between 1 and 2 million people fled Vietnam at the fall of Saigon. Of this it is estimated that 500,000 people perished at sea. Decades later, hope still lingers for many of those that have survive. Without a body how can one be so sure?

Originally mounted for the Sydney Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2014, for 10 days artist Phuong Ngo lived in public view on the same supplies his parents had on their boat, occupying his time by folding origami boats out of hell bank notes. Audience members were invited to also partake in the folding of boats. While doing so they had the opportunity to listen to narrative recordings from other Vietnamese refugees.

At the conclusion of Article 14.1 the paper boats were burnt to honour the estimated 500,000 Vietnamese people who lost their lives at sea fleeing the country after the fall of Saigon.