Thao Nguyen Phan at Pirelli Hangar Bicocca in Milan

This fall promises to be very exciting for contemporary art lovers. The Pirelli Hangar Bicocca has a full schedule ahead which starts on the 14th of September with the exhibition titled “Reincarnation of shadows” by the Vietnamese artist Thao Nguyen Phan. The venue is also well known by art enthusiasts given the astonishing permanent collection which includes the Seven Heavenly Palaces by the German artist Anselm Kiefer.

“Thao Nguyen Phan’s (b. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 1987; lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City) practice encompasses video, installation, drawing and painting through which she retraces historical events related to the turbulent history of her native country, intertwining them with literature, philosophy, and daily life. Evoking dreamlike imagery to address environmental and social changes related to the exploitation of natural resources, her artistic language fuses fairy-tales and folk traditions to reflect upon the consumption and colonization of the landscape.
The show in Pirelli HangarBicocca will be a unique occasion to present Thao Nguyen Phan’s work to an Italian and international audience and to reveal her distinctive approach to moving image. Conjuring forgotten histories, ghostly presences and lush landscapes, the exhibition will give shape to cycles of life both spiritual and natural”
from the Pirelli Hangar Bicocca website

Thao Nguyen Phan biography

Thảo Nguyên Phan (born 1987) is a Vietnamese visual multimedia artist whose practice encompasses painting, filmmaking, and installation. She currently lives and works in Ho Chi Min City and has exhibited widely in Vietnam and abroad.^[1] Drawing inspiration from both official and unofficial histories, Phan references her country’s turbulent past while observing ambiguous issues in social convention, history, and tradition.^[2] She has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Vietnam and abroad, at many public institutions, including the Factory Contemporary Art Centre, Ho Chi Minh City; Nha San Collective Hanoi; Rockbind Art Museum Shanghai; Times Art Center in Berlin, Timisoara and The Mistake Room, Los Angeles.