Project Description (artist statement)

Vietnam Projects - OK Ha Noi

Project Background - After being an artist resident in Ha Noi for two months Larry had finished Ha Noi Windows with his wife, Pam, and their Vietnamese artist friends. Larry felt he should do other projects in Vietnam and consider working in the country through more periods of time.

Larry was introduced to the photographer Tran Khoc Khanh and within an hour they were planning how to work side by side on a new project about Ha Noi. Thye wanted to produce two separate solo exhibits that they could show in adjoining exhibit spaces. Viewers could see two different perspectives on the city, that of a native and life long resident and that of a long term foreign visitor.

But the challenges included how to work with Vietnam's Ministry of Culture to gain their approval for publically displaying the art work. Governmental and cultural traditions for photography had not enabled development of a fine art photography movement by the country's phtographers. A few exhibits by foreigners or ex-patriates had been shown by NGOs who did not have to get Ministry approval. The Ministry in the past had approved photography exhibits but only if they fit an approved content or manner of expression. Journalists, artists, and other photofgraphers were limited to expression that focused on an idealized version of reality and only if it could not be interpreted as denegrating the culture or government. The Ministry's concerns were likely more related to centuries olf Asian cultural traditions rather than politics. Basically one doesn't show one's dirty laundry and there is the idea "isn't art to show something of beauty?".

Khanh and Larry were not interested in idealism but wanted to depict ordinary life wtih it's challenges, successes, conflicts and messes, and moments of beauty or ugliness. Some people said that such an exhibit was never going to be allowed, "do you want to show the citizens that some of their city si decayed and ugly or their lives sometimes harsh?".

During the first year of making the photographs both artists decided they would photograph what they were engaged by no matter what it's content and they would not gloss over the less-than-neat subjects. They felt there was no point to the work if they merely re-created more post card images of icons valued by the culture ( such as a beautiful pagoda). Khanh worked in black and white with large format sometimes taking a scene and orchestrating it a little. Larry worked in medium format color negative to record life in completely candid fashion.

The Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts agreed to do the parallel exhbits in February 2008. But the artists needed the Cultural Ministry's approval. After some variable discussions the Ministry did agree and the exhibits took place to be seen by over one thousand people. The situation with the Ministry was unusual - Larry was probably the first foreign artist to apply directly to the Ministry rather than be sponsored by an NGO. Also OK Ha Noi at the museum may have been the first large exhibit to show Vietnamese life in the city as it really can be seen everyday, flaws and all.

OK Ha Noi at the Vietnamese National Museum of Fine Art was made possible by financial support from the Ford Foundation - Vietnam, The Greater Milwaukee Mary L. Nohl Suitcase Fund and an individual grant from Joanna Riopelle of Chicago.

Project Now - One thing Larry was interested in after the Museum exhibit was about the potential Vietnamese collecting market for fine art photography. This seemed non existent among finacially successful Vietnamese - perhaps due to the lack of fine art experienced Vietnamese photographers. StudioTHO Gallery in Ha Noi offered an opportunity to provide an initial answer to this question. In May 2009 they did a solo exihbit of 29 images from OK Ha Noi revising the exhibit name to Ha Noi Parallax. Most of the images represented the 2nd phase of the project, that is new images shot beteen the February 2008 museum exhibit and February of 2009. After some months it was concluded that some ex-patriates and a Vietnamese citizen here and there would buy works that did not necessarily idealize life and culture in the country

The book producer Verve Editions then suggested working on a photograph and essay book about Ha Noi that is in an ongoing phase as of early 2010. The book is envisioned as having 120 images plus some historical imgaes of the city a century ago. Planned are two essays. The essayists are the U.S. correspondent, Joseph Galloway and Nguyen Qui Duc, a writer/poet/radio host/bloggist.

The book's goal is to present a general sense of Ha Noi now at the time of it's one thousand years of history. The images will cover the trials and successes of the people and the impact they have on the urban environment.

The photographs to be chosen for the book are from a larger group of 150 possibilities. Interested people can see the entire gallery at this link. OK Ha Noi Complete Gallery

The book will have a different title and planned release is during the first part of 2011 for the U.S. Edition.

Ha Noi Parallax and the photographs made from early 2008 to 2010 have been made possible with financial assistance from The Underwood Foundation via an Anonymous Donor, The Underwood Foundation - Direct Grants, Dr. Thom R. Feroah - Individual Grant, and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation Mary L. Nohl Suitcase Fund.