Vietnamese artists to attend German exhibition Documenta for first time

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s artist Nguyen Trinh Thi and Nha San Collective have been selected to participate the 15th edition of contemporary arts exhibition Documenta (Documenta 15) in Germany’s Kassel next year.

Documenta 15 marks the first time Vietnam has sent representatives to the event, said curator Ace Le from Singapore.

Thi is a Hanoi-based filmmaker and artist. Thi uses montage to compose her works, drawing on different image media, from her own audio and visual recordings to found footage and still images from postcards, photography, newsreels, Hollywood films and ethnographic footage. She is also interested in incorporating new media into current works, including organic materials and natural forces.

Her films and video art works have been shown at festivals and art exhibitions, including the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane (2018); 21st Biennale of Sydney (2018); International Film Festival Rotterdam (2016); Jeu de Paume, Paris (2015); CAPC musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux (2015); 13th Lyon Contemporary Art Biennale (2015); Asian Art Biennial, Taichung (2015), among others. 

In 2009, Thi founded Hanoi DOCLAB, an independent centre for documentary film and the moving image in Hanoi. In 2015 – 2016, she was a fellow of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Programme.

Nha San Collective began operating as an independent artist collective in Hanoi in 2013, when a group of friends set up a publicly accessible space.

Nha San Collective has worked with fellow companions and collaborators to organize exhibitions, workshops, film screenings, talks, and other activities as a support platform for artists in the community./.