Spanning painting, installation, performance, community engagement and institution-making, the exhibition delves into the life of an artist who, over the last thirty years, has played a significant role in supporting critical contemporary art in Vietnam—a context with little public infrastructure for artmaking and display, and continued limits on artistic expression.

From his early career as a painter in the 1980s, the exhibition traces Trần’s shift towards performance and conceptual art, following the opening up of Vietnam’s economy to global trade, as well as his subsequent efforts to work collaboratively with communities. Throughout, Trần has worked actively to build spaces for experimentation, education and sharing, and to enhance exchange between Vietnam and the wider Southeast Asian region.

Tầm Tã – Soaked in the Long Rain is the first significant presentation of Trần’s work in Australia. The exhibition offers insight into the artist’s multifaceted life and practice; shaped by political and social transitions in Vietnam, and the many roles he continues to play—as activist, curator, facilitator, archivist and mentor.

To celebrate the opening of Tầm Tã – Soaked in the Long Rain, join us for a conversation with Trần Lương and AGWA curator Rachel Ciesla as they explore Trần’s wide-ranging artistic practice and the development of contemporary art in Vietnam over the past three decades.

For more information please visit the Art Gallery of Western Australia website.

Tagged 24/03.