Nằm mơ
đan lưới trời
Exhibition
“Dreaming of Weaving a Sky Net” solo exhibition, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
Medium
Site-specific Installation: Clay Nest with 1000 kg red clay from Lái Thiêu (Vietnam), 2km red thread, 1000 pieces of ceramic attached to the Nest.
Nest size: ~3mx5mx3m
Performance duration: 12 hours
Dreaming of Weaving a Sky Net
2023
Artwork Statement
The exhibition took place in an aged warehouse situated in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, amidst a residential area and industrial facilities. I utilized this space to create a site-specific installation and engaged in a performance lasting nearly 12 hours within the piece.
This work encapsulates my belief in the interconnectedness of all existence, highlighting a vast network that embodies the universe and its interrelations. Additionally, “Dreaming of Weaving a Sky Net” conveys my deeply personal reflections on the concept of home, the responsibilities that bind one before birth, and the legacies carried throughout life until they eventual passing.
I posit that individuals maintain connections to their family, society, and country long before their formation. Consequently, I tethered the ceramic strings and the net to the nest prior to my own “birth.” The entirety of the performance serves as a metaphorical act of severance, carrying forward, moving on through life and finally relinquishing everything behind, including the physical body. This work delineates a definition of home, while simultaneously embodying the responsibilities tied to one’s nation, societal context, and the collective history of humanity as reflected through the lens of an individual.
The remainder of the performance consists of 100 ceramic strings, collectively weighing the same as my own body, positioned at the entrance of the exhibition space alongside an empty "shell" of the installation. The absence of the performance may evoke confusion among viewers; however, this intentional void is meant to provoke contemplation. For me, loss can sometimes leave behind more questions than answers for those who remain.
Photo & Video Credit: Nguyen Duc Hung, Ngan, Luu An
Producer: Ches & Bụi Tre Collective
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The performance "Nằm mơ đan lưới trời" lasted for 12 hours, wherein the performers were blocked in the nest and then left the place. It was an act of walking through life, carrying all the burden and the concept of "duyên-nợ" (which translates to fate).
A note about the work
“From the moment of our birth, we are bound to this life. Growing and learning, until our bodies give in to strife.
Connections of fate and debt, we carry with us always; not just with people, but with every moment's fleeting ways.
Life is like a vast and intricate net, each point connected, vibrating with all that we've met.
Causes and conditions flow ceaselessly; life is ever transformed, hidden and veiled.
And we come to realize, in the end, that this ego, this body, are a mere illusion.
So we lie down, and dream a dream.”