Thao Nguyen Phan. Reincarnations of Shadows
A dreamlike imagery in which folk traditions, fairy-tale narratives, literature, philosophy, and everyday life merge
Becoming Alluvium (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
Using a wide variety of media and drawing on ancient traditions, Thao Nguyen Phan (b. 1987, lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) reflects on highly topical geopolitical issues in a cyclical narrative influenced by Buddhism.
The artist considers the medium of film a form of reincarnation.
First rain, Brise-soleil (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
Literature and poetry from different historical periods are interwoven with folktales from Vietnam and from the Khmer culture, the oldest and largest Cambodian ethnic group, which is also present in Vietnam.
“Reincarnations of Shadows” (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
The exhibition “Reincarnations of Shadows” presents a series of installations, drawings, paintings and videos, retracing Vietnam’s history in relation to contemporary environmental and social changes.
Reincarnations of Shadows (moving-image-poem) (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
The exhibition’s title is a reference to the video Reincarnations of Shadows (moving-image-poem) (2023), conceived for the occasion.
Inspired by modernist artist Diem Phung Thi (1920–2002), Phan questions the possibilities of reincarnation of hidden symbols and rituals that have remained in the shadows, passed down through oral accounts and often conditioned by the effects of colonialism.
First rain, Brise-soleil (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
In recent years, Phan has focused her research on Vietnam’s abrupt urbanization through the modernist movements from the 1960s under the pro-American South Vietnamese government.
Modernism is employed by Phan as a lens to analyze the cultural colonization of Vietnam.
Voyages de Rhodes (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
The work Voyages de Rhodes (2014–17) consists of a series of watercolors painted on about 100 pages of the ancient travel book Voyages de Rhodes (1653) written by the Jesuit Alexandre de Rhodes, one of the contributors in transcribing the local language into Latin alphabet.
No Jute Cloth for the Bones (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
In the installation entitled No Jute Cloth for the Bones (2019–23), the artist hangs long fibers of dried raw jute from the ceiling.
It refers to Second World War, when the invading Japanese army exacerbated drought conditions and flood damage, causing an unprecedented famine by forcing the inhabitants to uproot their food crops and grow jute.
Mute Grain (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
The film Mute Grain (2019) refers to the great famine of 1945. Archival images intermingle with the fictional stories of a teenage brother and sister, March and August, left alone. The siblings are named after the two poorest months in the Vietnamese agricultural calendar.
Dream of March and August (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
The series of paintings entitled Dream of March and August (2018–ongoing), executed in watercolors and natural pigments on silk, resumes and further develops the stories March and August narrated in Mute Grain (2019).
Becoming Alluvium (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
Set amidst the lush landscapes along the Mekong River, the video Becoming Alluvium (2019–ongoing) addresses the issue of environmental exploitation.
The story revolves around a 2018 event: the collapse of a dam on the Mekong that caused the death of dozens of people in a remote farming village. In Phan’s work, two siblings who died in the accident are reincarnated as a sacred Irrawaddy dolphin and a water hyacinth.
“Reincarnations of Shadows” (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
Several international institutions have organized solo exhibitions by Thao Nguyen Phan, including: Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (2024); Tate St Ives (2022); WIELS, Brussels, Chisenhale Gallery, London (2020);
First rain, Brise-soleil (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, (2019); Para Site, Hong Kong (2018); Factory Contemporary Arts Centre, Ho Chi Minh City (2017); and Bétonsalon, Paris (2016).
“Reincarnations of Shadows” (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
She has taken part in group shows, including 59th Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2022); New Museum Triennial, New York, MOMENTA Biennale de l’image, Montréal (2021); Lyon Biennale, Sharjah Biennial (2019); Dhaka Art Summit (2018); Nha San Collective, Hanoi (2017).
“Reincarnations of Shadows” (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
Between 2016 and 2017, Phan was included among the Protégé Rolex, accompanied by Joan Jonas as a mentor. In addition, in 2019 she was shortlisted for the Hugo Boss Asia Art Award and won the Han Nefkens Foundation – LOOP Barcelona Video Art Award 2018.
“Reincarnations of Shadows” (2023) by Thao Nguyen PhanPirelli HangarBicocca
Thao Nguyen Phan is co-founder of the Art Labor collective, which explores interdisciplinary practices and develops art projects to benefit the local Vietnamese community.
