This event is part of the public program of our current exhibition “Myth in Motion” by Martha ATIENZA, Ana María MILLÁN, Thao Nguyen PHAN, Ana VAZ and Connie ZHENG. This exhibition is a collaboration between KADIST and Sa Sa Art Projects, with additional support by Larry Strange. The exhibition period is until 12 August 2023.

The workshop takes inspiration from the region’s myths, folklore, and oral narratives. We will investigate how a subject deeply rooted in the context and constellation of locality can be shared and comprehended universally.​​ The birth of the artist’s moving image in Southeast Asia might go hand in hand with the aftermath of colonialism and the rapid modernization of the newly independent states, which carry rich heritage in agricultural practices and oral histories. However, some of these heritages in oral histories and spirituality are nowadays mistakenly regarded as backward and against the “grand myth of development.” The workshop proposes an interdisciplinary approach to what we understand as moving image and mythology. How could a medium believed to originate within the context of Western art practice be adapted for the local context? In this sense, I want to pay tribute to the modern movement in architecture in Cambodia and generations of Khmer architects who have applied, given voices and shapes to the heritage of architecture in Cambodia and beyond.

About Thao Nguyen Phan

Thao Nguyen PHAN (b. 1987, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Trained as a painter, Phan is a multimedia artist whose practice encompasses video, painting, and installation. Drawing from literature, philosophy, and daily life, Phan observes ambiguous issues in social conventions and history. She is expanding her “theatrical fields,” including what she calls performance gestures and moving images. In addition to her work as a multimedia artist, she is co-founder of the collective Art Labor, which explores cross-disciplinary practices and develops art projects that benefit the local community. Phan exhibits internationally, with solo and group exhibitions at major institutions and biennales such as Tate St Ives, Venice Art Biennale, Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai), Lyon Biennale, Sharjah Biennial, Gemäldegalerie (Berlin), Dhaka Art Summit, Para Site (Hong Kong), Factory Contemporary Art Centre (Ho Chi Minh City), Nha San Collective (Hanoi), among others. Phan was shortlisted for the 2019 Hugo Boss Asia Art Award. She is a 2016-2017 Rolex Protégée, mentored by internationally acclaimed, New York-based performance and video artist Joan Jonas. Image: Amar Kanwar, A Peacock’s Graveyard, 2023, Installation view at Sharjah Art Biennale 15