Mekong Mechanical - Phan Thao Nguyen

Entering the factory, I had to wash my hands, wear a mask and put on a protective suit. The peculiarity of the factory setting made me more sensitive to the smell and the atmosphere surrounding me. The real experience was so different from the version of the Mekong delta popularized in guidebooks and documentaries, which always promote the river as beautiful and welcoming in nature. In reality, the delta is not always calm and placid, but a place with a diverse and turbulent history. This leads me to great aspiration to explore the complexity of the region which for me carries personal and social meaning. The project continues my concern with the ambiguous relationship to history, personal memory, gesture, formal arrangement and poetic imagery.

Curated by: Tran Luong


Phan Thao Nguyen




was born in 1987 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She studied at Ho Chi Minh University of Fine Arts and is currently pursuing her MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She exhibited in Vietnam, Singapore and Chicago. Selected exhibitions include: “Intersection Vietnam: New Works from North and South”, curated by Iola Lenzi, at Valentine Willie Fine Art in Singapore and Malaysia; “Ket Noi” at the Singapore Art Museum; a performance at the Nippon International Performance Art Festival, Japan and her MFA Thesis Exhibition at Sullivan Gallery, Chicago. She received numerous awards and grants including the Presidential Scholarship, School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Her work won the first prize at the Union League Visual Art Competition, Chicago 2011.