An Ocean Apart/Nghin Trung Xa Cach: Contemporary Vietnamese Art from the United States and Vietnam/My Thuat Duong Dai Viet Nam O Hoa Ky Va O Viet Nam

by Lois Tarlow, Jeffrey Hantover, Truong Thi Thinh (Collaborator)

Published in conjunction with an exhibit of the same name a joint venture by Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American artists which opened at the Smithsonian Institution in 1995 and will travel through 1998. Hantover's introductory essay is presented in both English and Vietnamese, as are the captions and brief interviews with artists that accompany display (in color) of 78 works by 34 artists. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1996

Reviews

[Stacey Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breathtaking images. Whenever I go to the Asian Art Museum, it's underwhelming to see the range of Vietnamese art, aka 1 old drum and a bunch of silverware (even tho it's right next to Little Saigon???). Moreover, the only Vietnamese artist that I can locate in the mainstream is Dinh Q. Le. So this book was definitely a refresher. While Vietnam is much more than a history of colonialism and war, it's fascinating to see how historical and geographical factors confluence through art. A lot of the works had an intense, minimalistic darkness, showing that less is indeed more. I'm a sucker for warm, bright, happy styles, but I strangely found these quite alluring. I also loved the watercolor on silk pieces, which have a softer, dreamier aesthetic. It's not a style that I'm familiar with at all (#ignant). Overall, this gem was a great start for my thesis research.