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6/5/2003

Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba

New Museum, New York

THE NEW MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART PRESENTS VIDEO WORKS BY JUN NGUYEN-HATSUSHIBA IN MEMORIAL PROJECT VIETNAM

May 7, 2003 - June 29, 2003
in the Zenith Media Lounge

From May 7-June 29, 2003, the New Museum of Contemporary Art presents Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba: Memorial Project Vietnam. Born in Japan, educated in the United States, and now living in Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen-Hatsushiba creates lyrical, graceful, and spellbinding films that explore Vietnamese history and identity. On view in the Zenith Media Lounge of the New Museum are two recent videos by Nguyen-Hatsushiba.

Memorial Project Nha Trang, Vietnam: Towards the Complex - For the Courageous, the Curious, and the Cowards (2001) records a staged underwater race that suggests the arduous progress of a nation recovering from a half-century of political turmoil. In slow motion, a group of pearl divers soundlessly pull cyclos (rickshaw taxis) along the floor of the sea. With direct reference to the impact of the Vietnam War on his country, Nguyen-Hatsushiba deconstructs the fate of those who are caught between old and new modes of existence. Pearl divers and cyclo drivers remain two of the most economically disenfranchised workers in Vietnam.

In his most recent work, Happy New Year-Memorial Project Vietnam II (2003), completed for this exhibition, Nguyen-Hatsushiba affirms his position as one of the most innovative young Southeast Asian artists on the international scene today. This video explores a key event in modern Vietnamese history: the Tet Offensive of 1968, a series of surprise attacks by North Vietnamese troops during the celebration of the Lunar New Year, when both sides were thought to have laid down their arms to celebrate the country's most important holiday. A traditional New Year's dragon puppet, supported from beneath by seven divers, twists and turns beneath the waves while a script recalls the celebration and devastation of the Tet Offensive. The dragon's sinuous movement is contrasted with that of the Fate Machine, a giant skeletal orb that shoots small balls at random intervals toward the water's surface. As the balls reach the air, they burst into clouds of colored powder, signifying a sudden release from a state of danger.

Both works are filmed underwater, suggesting a symbolic link with Vietnamese sensibility. Vietnam, with its long coastline and one of the world's largest, most fertile river basins, is defined by its relationship to water.
Vietnamese folklore and mythology also abound in references to water.

Nguyen-Hatsushiba earned his B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1992 and his M.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1994. His work has been featured in the 2001 Yokohama Triennale and the 2002 Sydney and Sao Paolo Biennials. His videos will be featured at the upcoming 2003 Venice and Istanbul Biennales.

Happy New Year-Memorial Project Vietnam II was produced by the MATRIX Program at the U.C. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA, with assistance from the New Museum of Contemporary Art. The Berkeley Art Museum presentation was funded by the LEF Foundation. Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba's work appears courtesy of the artist and Mizuma Gallery, Tokyo.

Public Program
Conversation with the Artist: Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba
Tues. May 6, 2003, 6-7PM
Conversation between Senior Curator Dan Cameron and artist Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, followed by an opening reception from 7-8PM. (Zenith Media Lounge)

About the Zenith Media Lounge
Zenith Media Lounge is a digital and media arts collaboration with Zenith Electronics Corporation. Located on the New Museum Store level, the Zenith Media Lounge is New York City's only museum space dedicated to the exhibition and exploration of digital art, experimental video, and sound works. Programming in the Zenith Media Lounge is ongoing and is always free.

Zenith Media Lounge exhibitions and public programs are supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Jerome Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts.

About the New Museum of Contemporary Art
The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977 and located in the heart of Soho, is the premier destination for contemporary art in New York City. With an annual schedule of dynamic exhibitions, the Museum presents the most innovative and experimental work from around the world. Debate and discussion about contemporary culture are encouraged through a broad range of educational programs, publications, performances, and new media initiatives. The New Museum recently announced plans to build a new, 60,000 square foot facility at 235 Bowery.

Museum Hours Tuesday - Sunday: noon - 6:00PM
Thursday: noon - 8:00PM*
Closed Monday

Store Hours Monday - Sunday: noon - 6:30PM
Thursday: noon - 8:00PM
Now open seven days a week!

Admission $6.00 general; $3.00 students/seniors
Free for members; visitors 18 and under free
*Thursday 6:00-8:00PM $3.00
Zenith Media Lounge free

Directions Subway: 6 to Spring Street or Bleecker Street
N/R to Prince Street
C/E to Spring Street
F/S to Broadway Lafayette
Bus: #1/#5/#6/#21 to Houston Street or Broadway

The exhibitions at the New Museum of Contemporary Art are made possible by the Producers Council and members of the New Museum. The New Museum of Contemporary Art receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts.

The New Museum has received major stabilization support for 2003 operations and programs from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Booth Ferris Foundation.

For more information please contact the Public Relations Office at 212-219-1222 ext. 394

New Museum of Contemporary Art
583 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
(between Houston and Prince Streets in SoHo)
Telephone 212-219-1222
Fax 212-431-5328

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