ASA 02
5/25/13
The controversy of Chau Huynh’s “Connections” installations,
cause quite a commotion in the Vietnamese community. To the point where
Vietnamese people and members of Diaspora protested for eight days, in front of
the Nquoi Viet Daily, a Vietnamese
language newspaper that published a photo of the “Pedicure Basin”. The
“Pedicure Basin” was an installation that showcased three pedicure basins painted
yellow with three red stripes, meant to represent the Republic of Vietnam flag.
The “pedicure basin” was a tribute to her Mother-in-Law, who worked hard at a nail
shop to put her family through education and to send money back to her loved
ones at home. However, members of the Vietnamese community chose to ignore the
meaning behind her artwork and instead interpreted it negatively. “The bucket
is a dirty thing and to put the flag there says the flag is a dirty thing”.
As
an aspiring artist myself I found the discussion of misinterpretation in the
article “Creating Identity, Defining Culture and Making History from an Art
Exhibit: ‘Unfinished Story: A Tribute to My Mother” by Kieu-Linh Caroline
Valverde, very intriguing. Art is meant to be interpreted and can be
interpreted in many ways. So while reading this article, I wonder if the
misinterpretation was valid. The interpretation of the public was very literal.
They took it out of context, imposed their own political views on the piece and
created a negative meaning. However for an artist this type of ignorance is
expected. In fact if feel like that there is satisfaction in angering the
public. Art is meant to challenge the way people think and how we view things.
It opens up doors to discussion, commotion and reflection. What the “pedicure
basin” did for the community was bring light to the Vietnamese history and experience.
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