Jim Thompson Art Center

Dinh Q. Lê

Artist

On April 30, 1975, the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell and the Vietnam War ended with a North Vietnamese victory. Immediately prior to this, hundreds of U.S. military helicopters carrying people desperately trying to escape Saigon landed one after the other on U.S. aircraft carriers in the South China Sea, and in order to make room for the following aircraft to land, many were pushed into the sea by crewmembers. Using CG animation, Lê recreates this episode, drawing a comparison with the method Blackfeet American Indians used to hunt bison by driving them to a panic and then running them over cliff formations known as "pishkun."

Dinh Q. Lê was born in Ha-Tien, Vietnam. He received his BA in Art studio at UC Santa Barbara and his MFA in Photography and Related Media at The School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1992. In 1994, Lê returned to Vietnam and in 1997 Lê settled down in Ho Chi Minh City.

Lê’s artistic practice consistently challenges how our memories are recalled with context in contemporary life. Whether he provokes the dominance of film and media in the creation of historical legacy; the confluence of cultural tradition and contemporary tragedy in his woven photographs; the re-placement of everyday urban objects into artistic wonders; or by documenting the un-chronicled stories of those who endured the first helicopter war - what all of these artistic investigations elucidate is a commitment to the artistic process as a means of excavating history, in the uncovering and revealing of alternate ideas of loss and redemption.

Lê’s work has exhibited worldwide. His recent solo exhibitions include Dinh Q.Le: fil de la mémoire et autres photographies, the Quai Branly Museum, Paris; Monuments and Memorials, Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Porland, OR; Pure Land, Tang Contemporary Art, Bangkok; Earthly Delights, Project Fulfill Art Space, Taipei; True Journey is Returned, San Jose Art Museum, CA; Skin On Skin, 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong; Monuments and Memorials, Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore; A Rite of Passage, C3A Centro de Creación Contemporánea de Andalucía, Cordoba, Spain; The Colony, Shetland Arts Center, Shetland, Scotland; Dinh Q. Lê: Memory for Tomorrow at Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Destination for the New Millennium, The Art of Dinh Q. Lê at the Asia Society, New York, and Project 93: Dinh Q. Lê at Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. He was also included in the Delays and Revolutions, Venice Biennale 2003; in dOCUMENTA (13) 2012; and the 2013 Carnegie International.

Lê also co-founded VNFA and San Art, the most active none profit gallery and residency program in Vietnam. He is the board member of Arts Network Asia Peer Panel, the Danish Embassy’s Cultural Development and Exchange Fund, Asia Society Global Council, and Guggenheim Asian Council. Lê was the 2010 Visual Art Laureate, Prince Claus Fund, Amsterdam, and a 2014 Rockefeller’s Bellagio Fellow.

Pratchaya Phinthong

b. 1974, Thailand

Artist

Pratchaya Phinthong is an alchemist of economic value and social functions. In the work of this Thai artist, financial fluctuations, media alarmism, and the world labor market are transferred into matter as it transforms from solid to liquid to gaseous states, and then back again. Perhaps, however, it would be better to describe Phinthong as a trader who operates according to a logic opposite to that of profit, and who deals in cultural and value systems, trafficking in everyday meanings, hopes, and troubles. Phinthong accepts the perpetual transformation of forms and politics, of existence and daily life, poetically transferring the metaphor of fluctuation in currency values to various areas of human action. Pratchaya Phinthong’s works often arise from the confrontation between different social, economic or geographical systems.They are the result of a dialogue, and bring all their poetic forces from an almost invisible artistic gesture.

Toshiko Tanaka

b.1938, Japan

Artist

Toshiko Tanaka formerly known as Katsuko Hara, was born in Hiroshima City and grew up in a family that ran an inn for soldiers. At the age of six, she survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, which later led to health issues. Despite these challenges, she worked her way through high school and eventually became a cloisonne enamel artist, gaining recognition for her work in various exhibitions. Toshiko is renowned for her contributions to peace and disarmament, actively participating in organizations such as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and sharing her A-bomb experience worldwide through the Peace Boat. Today, she continues to create art, focusing on the connection between nature and humanity, and operates her home as a "Peace Exchange Space," dedicated to promoting peace.

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF)

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), established in 1986, has worked since its inception to advance international exchange and cooperation. We leverage the unique freedom our status as a private foundation grants us to explore innovative solutions and approaches for addressing a wide range of issues facing the world today in partnership with a diverse community of both domestic and international collaborators.

The Surin Pitsuwan Foundation

The Surin Pitsuwan Foundation is a philanthropic organization whose aim is to continue the legacy of the late Surin Pitsuwan, a regional statesman who served as Secretary General of ASEAN, in fostering development in the ASEAN region. We aspire to encourage ASEAN citizens to transcend their differences, tackle regional challenges, and work towards fostering prosperity within the region as a single community.