F.O.B.II: Art Speaks [Nghệ Thuật Lên Tiếng] January 9-15, 2009 F.O.B II: Foyer of VAALA Center RECONSTRUCTING MEMORY ROOM RECONSTRUCTING MEMORY: Photo by Jenni Trang Le Nguyen Viet Hung Freedom 2: days through the sea RECONSTRUCTING MEMORY: Nguyen Viet Hung Freedom 2: days through the sea I crossed the sea to arrive at the Philippines in 1981, and immigrated to the U.S in 1982 The seven-nights journey was on a small fishing boat, taking many risks with the storms The ocean could either bury me or carry me to the promised land, and it ended up giving us mercy after the challenges The seven-nights journey across the sea is so short in comparison to the amount of time I’ve spent in my second homeland, from 1982 to 2008 In this time, I have completed a new project about that journey then Describing that journey on the ocean from Vietnam to the Phillippines, boats are days on the water, face-to-face with danger on the endless ocean; life-death, hope-despair… Freedom is not a given I not create these types of paintings often, but I’m not sure why I’ve returned to my memories, feeling like I have to paint, so that the worries about life’s uncertainties can settle… I choose this work to participate in the exhibition Art Speaks as a way to speak about the origins of the Vietnamese diaspora of Little Saigon Although the Vietnamese immigrants have arrived here by different journeys, we all have freedom in common But freedom is not a destination nor is it tangible It is an ongoing journey Freedom needs to be maintained and protected And the best method: freedom of an individual cannot infringe on other individuals’ freedom Freedom is a way of choosing Freedom is so rare, not abuse it and not lose it RECONSTRUCTING MEMORY: Photo by Kieu Linh Valverde Ann Phong, Mending My art reflects the feelings and thoughts of people who have experienced hardships in their lives Many have suffered through difficult living conditions while being uprooted from their homeland, only to settle down in a new territory which resembles nothing about their culture but promises freedom Even more have felt disconnected with the younger generations who have seemed to lose their heritage years after We Vietnamese in particular develop complex and restrained emotions To survive in these desperate situations, we reinforce ourselves with optimistic attitudes RECONSTRUCTING MEMORY: Ann Phong, An Advice RECONSTRUCTING MEMORY: Image courtesy of artist Nguyen Trong Khoi Seed of Life RECONSTRUCTING MEMORY: Nguyen Trong Khoi Seed of Life When I was in Viet Nam, I heard and saw the suffering of many people or those who had to endure many tragedies in their journey to freedom I witnessed how these tragedies happened every single day…I use painting, then, in order to express first and foremost the pent-up emotions that are harbored inside of me I painted Seed of Life non-stop for about hours The painting was quickly finished as to mark my own emotions At the same period of time, I also produced another work called Nostalgia (which includes paintings put together and are oil on canvas, measuring 48”x90”) Seed of Life was exhibited in my solo art show at City Hall in Boston, MA, in 1993 as a sharing of pain and loss of my people and community The biggest tragedy of my people has been the waste of human life What I would like to say about Seed of Life is that preserving life is the most important and necessary act The work of protecting the life of your country is an essential duty; as a result, every person must become immensely valued Being able to live is a right that I believe needs to be sustained and passed down through the generations RECONSTRUCTING MEMORY: Dao Hai Trieu Nautical Dreams and The Waves Images courtesy of artist ... that the worries about life’s uncertainties can settle… I choose this work to participate in the exhibition Art Speaks as a way to speak about the origins of the Vietnamese diaspora of Little... I and II Images courtesy of artist RECONSTRUCTING MEMORY: Le T Que-Huong To Cali with Love I and II I live and celebrate life now in California But so often, my heart and soul still tremble when... with the younger generations who have seemed to lose their heritage years after We Vietnamese in particular develop complex and restrained emotions To survive in these desperate situations, we reinforce