Vietnamese Women Artist Tour the US
Changing Identity introduces the work of ten contemporary Vietnamese women artists who challenge the stereotypes and traditional roles of women in Vietnamese society. This exhibition is the first survey of women artists from Vietnam to tour the United States. Through the use of various media, subject matters, and aesthetic sensibilities, two generations of artists share views of their country and the changing status of women. Together their work provides a diverse view of Vietnam itself, reflecting a range of opinions and experiences.
Each of these women has a particular way of shaping her work and of identifying herself that is both personal and universal. Their chosen themes are meant to evoke, contest, neglect, or embrace their culture without resorting to simplistic assumptions about women.
For the past two decades, since Vietnam opened its doors to the West, a booming art business has brought economic prosperity to many artists. Much of this success, however, has been bestowed on men. Vietnamese women, long stereotyped as obedient, docile and living in the shadows of their husbands, have been virtually overlooked by the international art world. In light of economic changes sweeping over the country in the era of globalization, a younger generation of women find themselves in a position to critique prevailing norms and to question the status quo.
Changing Identity provides a chance to see Vietnam through the eyes of artists who have a particular perspective of their homeland and themselves. Not only does it bring to light a previously marginalized viewpoint of Vietnamese culture, it does so from the standpoint of the women themselves, providing a unique opportunity to experience the remarkable talent of the women of Vietnam.
A fully illustrated exhibition catalogue will accompany the national tour.
Exhibition Curator: Nora A. Taylor
Nora A. Taylor PhD is an Associate Professor in the School of Global Studies at Arizona State University, Tempe. She received her doctorate from Cornell University in Art History and is the author of Painters in Hanoi: An Ethnography of Vietnamese Art, published by University of Hawaii Press, 2003
Changing Identity is supported in part by grants from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation and the Ford Foundation, Hanoi office.
International Arts and Artists
