Queer art in Vietnam: from closet to pride in two decades

Abstract

Male and female artists in Vietnam from the early 1990s to the new millennium have contributed art that gives visibility to non-normative lifestyles that go against the traditional values espoused by national rhetoric. This article explores some of the first manifestations of queer art in contemporary Vietnam, outlining a short history of artworks that may be considered "queer" because of their subject matter, irrespective of whether they were made by straight or queer identified artists. Many of these artworks are not made in traditional media, or they break conventions in the local artistic canon. Frequently they have performative characteristics, an art form that arose in Vietnam in the 1990s, the beginning of the timeframe explored here. Photography, another medium not long or firmly established, is also extensively employed. The narrative attends specifically to the dissidence, in content or format, of selected artworks, and points to a correlation over time to an increased tolerance of homosexuality. This article is published as part of a thematic collection on gender studies.

Creative hubs in Hanoi, Vietnam: Transgressive spaces in a socialist state?

“…One of the forms this takes, used by more activist artists and hub leaders, has also been documented by scholars of Vietnamese contemporary and experimental arts (e.g. Libby, 2011;Lux, 2007;Nualart, 2016). It consists of hiding social or political critiques in art worksthrough the use of abstraction for instanceso that they are not detected by state censors.…”

“…As the stifling atmosphere which had permeated the cultural sphere prior to Đổi mới eased, Vietnamese artists, curators, collectors and gallerists began to experiment with new ideas and forms of expression. Foreign cultural material started to circulate in Vietnam, new possibilities to travel abroad opened up access to world art, and a ‘freer’ market took form in which art works could be bought and sold legitimately ( Healey, 2014 ; Nualart, 2016 ; Taylor and Corey, 2019 ). Alongside new commercial galleries and cafés holding public exhibitions, an alternative art scene emerged quietly through contemporary art exhibitions and performances held clandestinely in private home-studios ( Taylor, 2007 ).…”

“…6 This process is made extraordinarily complicated by the ambiguities, unpredictability and discretionary character of the Vietnamese state’s cultural censorship and repression practices. To give just one example, Vietnamese officials sometimes claim that there is no list of forbidden topics as long as cultural works stay clear of opposing the party and government ( Nualart, 2016 ). However, members of the Vietnamese art scene report a long list of topics that might lead to permission being denied or revoked.…”

Dibujar en Idiomas. Visualizar La Colonización Lingüística en El Sudeste Asiático.

“…El bosquejo del musculado varón, en torsión cual discóbolo de Mirón, magnifica la carga homoerótica de los cuerpos lampiños de la estatuaria clásica. Pero no es en esa dirección donde se dirige la intención de Truong Tan, primer artista vietnamita en salir del armario (Nualart, 2016).…”

Vietnamese Reception Of Soft Masculinities In Korean Television Dramas: Desires, Identifications, And Gender

“…Local media production has also changed following the State's weakening ideological imposition and external influences from global media and the Vietnamese diaspora (Carruthers, 2001;Huong Le, 2008;Kraevskaia, 2009). Since the 1990s, the country has seen the rise of provocative visual arts, including queer projects that challenge traditional ideals of gender and promote alternative gender identities (Lenzi, 2015;Nualart, 2016). Equally notable is the emergence of feminist art, which challenges norms and raises women's issues, albeit as a "marginal practice" (Nualart, 2018).…”