Opening: 27.09
Location: Salon Saigon
6D Ngo Thoi Nhiem, Ward 7, District 3, HCMC

A panel of artists Mai Nguyen Thi Thanh, James Nguyen and curator Anthea Gunn discuss contemporary art commissions at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra that explore the legacies of conflict in the Asia-Pacific region and with a focus on a current project in Vietnam.

One of a series of partnerships with organizations in Vietnam, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and South Korea, the AWM invited an artist from each country to spend four weeks in residence at the AWM, and Australian artists to spend four weeks in each partner country, exploring the experiences and legacy of war. The artists then create works of art in response to the residency, which brings a new international scope to the AWM collection.

Artists Mai Nguyen Thi Thanh (VN) and James Nguyen (AUS) will speak about their recently completed residencies in Australia and Vietnam further to a collaboration between AWM, Sàn Art and A. Farm, ahead of creating their works. Angela Tiatia (AUS) will speak about her work The Fall, completed in 2017 for AWM after a residency in Singapore. And AWM Senior Curator of Art Anthea Gunn will speak about commissioning works of art in response to challenging and complex subject matter and the role of art at the AWM.

Much thanks to Salon Saigon for hosting the event.

This talk is part of a collaborative project between Australian Warm Memorial Museum, Sàn Art and A. Farm in HCMC. AWM’s generous support was made possible by a grant from the Anzac Centenary Arts and Culture Fund.