Tropical Siesta begins in a rural landscape of Vietnam. Very quickly, painted images of students sleeping on their school benches appear. A text speaking of how the communist regime has placed agriculture at the center of its economy reads alongside the images. The script tells of how children have access to only one book History of the Kingdom of Tonkin (1650) by Alexandre de Rhodes, a French Jesuit missionary. In different scenes, children interpret the stories of the book to escape from reality. The landscape of Tropical Siesta recalls the dark period of Communism during which many people were deported or executed— a history that was not written, the amnesia of a people to which the innocence of children respond.
Phan Thao Nguyên is a multimedia artist who uses painting, installation, video, and performance to depict historical events, narrative traditions, and minor gestures that challenge received ideas and social conventions. Nguyên’s work combines references to history, literature, philosophy, and open poetic spaces conducive to reflection. Through literature, philosophy, and daily life, she observes ambiguous issues in social convention, history, and tradition. The artist is expanding her “theatrical fields”, including what she calls performance gesture and moving images. Nguyên is also a member of the collective Art Labor, which explores cross-disciplinary practices and develops art projects that will benefit the local community.
On September 22, 1940 the French signed an accord, which granted Japanese troops the right to occupy Indochina...
Angela Hill’s Emotional Portrait of Her Daughter’s Adolescence | AnOther IDEA co-founder Angela Hill’s latest photo book, Edith, captures two decades of her daughter’s life as she navigates the rocky trials of adolescence December 04, 2023 Text Millen Brown-Ewens This time last year, IDEA co-founder Angela Hill had just released the independent publisher’s most personal publication to date: the first book of her own photography...
On September 22, 1940 the French signed an accord, which granted Japanese troops the right to occupy Indochina...
In the film La Edad de Oro (The Golden Age) Javier Castro asks several children to describe what they want to be when they grow up and what their best career option is in Cuba...
Postcards from the Desert Island is a remake of a 50s educational film Holiday from the rules in which four children interact with an omniscient narrator who teleports them to a tropical island where there are no rules...