Thao Nguyen Phan - 'Monsoon Melody'

Thao Nguyen Phan’s works draw from the rich and turbulent history of her native country, Vietnam. The exhibition at WIELS – her largest to date – includes three videos accompanied by watercolour paintings: Tropical Siesta (2017), Mute Grain (2019) and Becoming Alluvium (currently in production). Taking different forms and starting points, these recent projects all explore the agricultural, political and social context of the Vietnamese rurality and countryside. However, Phan’s work transgresses a purely historical or political point of view, to incorporate an interest in literature and language. Through storytelling, fiction, official and unofficial history, it subtly reveals the forgotten and the forgettable in poetic recollections.