Art for art’s sake

Dave Brooks

What does a roller coaster, a record player and a set of angel wings

have in common?

Well, nothing actually. That’s the whole point of “Out of

Context,” a new exhibit at the Huntington Beach Art Center.

The exhibit focuses on contemporary art by Vietnamese and

Vietnamese-American artists. Utilizing a multitude of mediums, from a

gigantic mechanical roller coaster to a series of blue-toned

paintings, “Out of Context” challenges the idea that Vietnamese art

is confined to certain recurring themes or cultural styles.

The contemporary art movement in Vietnam is becoming increasingly

diversified, said co-curator Darlene DeAngelo. After decades of

socialist-realism, it’s evolving into a contemporary form that --

like its American and European counterparts -- can’t be easily

quantified. It’s developed into art that goes beyond politics, or the

Vietnam War or culture.

“It is art for art’s sake,” Art Center Director Kate Hoffman said.

“Out of Context” features work from 13 different artists

compiled by DeAngelo and co-curator Beth Gates of the Oakland-based

Pacific Bridge Contemporary Southeast Asian Art Gallery, and funded

by a grant from the James Irving Foundation.

DeAngelo and Gates traveled together throughout California and

Vietnam in search of contemporary artists whose “work stood on its

own,” DeAngelo said. Several artists living in Vietnam were flown to

Huntington Beach to participate in the exhibition.

Artist Hoang Duong Cam made his first visit to the United States

to prepare his site-specific installation for the show. Titled

“Coun-Nouc,” the piece mimics Vietnamese spring rolls -- the food

item -- though in a much larger scale. And instead of vegetable,

they’re filled with common household items mixed in with faceless

silhouette cutouts.

Also making their inaugural visits to the U.S. are artists Nguyen

Quang Huy and Nguyen Minh Phuoc.

“For me, the woman is a much stronger character than the man,”

said Huy, describing his blue-toned oil on canvas series titled

“Unknown Women.” In the series, Huy presents portraits of

expressionless Vietnamese women, each hiding a lifetime of experience

and sometimes hardship behind a stony-eyed glare.

“In my life, I have had so much help from women,” he said. “For

me, this is my tribute to them.”

Perhaps most dazzling at the exhibit is a giant metal roller

coaster by California artist Fatima Hoang, current reigning West

Coast “air guitar” champion and the exhibit’s in-house logical

absurdist.

Pushing the bounds of the eternal question “What is art?” Hoang’s

operational toy is made from scrape wire and a recycled motor. It

challenges the sensibilities of art purists by creating a piece meant

to evoke childlike glee from watching a toy go up, and then down,

sometimes very fast.

“The question we kept asking ourselves when we curated this

exhibit was ‘Will the work fit together in the gallery?’” Gates said

“Will there be a commonality, or will it be random?”

Gates and DeAngelo hope viewers will reanalyze their idea of

cultural “context” and enjoy the art without heritage being its

unifying element.

Hypothetically, the exhibit can be viewed without knowledge that

any of the artists are of Vietnamese descent. But despite each

artist’s unique approach, DeAngelo said there are certain

similarities that run through the exhibit.

“We did find that these artists do have a common context in which

they create their art,” she wrote in her curator’s statement, “that

comes largely from the fast-paced global culture in which we live.”

In that sense, Gates said, Vietnamese art is redefining itself,

not as a regional or ethnic form, but as part of a larger global art

movement. And that parallel to the global pop culture has invaded all

borders.