F.O.B. II: ART SPEAKS MULTI-ART SHOW

December, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: TRAM LE, Co-Curator
(626) 627-6826
LAN DUONG, Co-Curator
(323) 377-1967
F.O.B. II: ART SPEAKS MULTI-ART SHOW EXPLORES
THE CROSSROADS OF ART + POLITICS + COMMUNITY
-Show features a kaleidoscope of 50+ visual and performing artists celebrating our rich
history and the diversity of voices within the Vietnamese community here and abroad.
January 9 – 18, 2009 @ VAALA Center, 1600 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92706
Westminster, CA- F.O.B. II: Art Speaks presents a kaleidoscope of 50+ visual and
performing artists and artistic groups of all mediums (painting, sculpture, photography,
film, installations, performance art, video art, comic drawings, graffiti art, poetry/spoken
word, music, turntablism). The exhibit is aimed at inciting a conversation about art,
politics, and community—where they converge and intersect—issues which have been
labeled taboo or dominated by vocal factions within the community.
F.O.B. II: Art Speaks proudly presents works by the following artists: Alex Chinh
Nguyen, Ann Phong, Binh Danh, Brian Doan, Charlie Nguyen, Chau Thuy Huynh, Dao
Hai Trieu, Debbie Nguyen, Demon Slayer Family (Dan Duy Nguyen + Mailan Thi
Pham), Do Le Anhdao, Ham Tran, Hiep Nguyen, Hong-An Truong, Jenni Trang Le, Kiep
Nao Co Yeu Nhau Musical by Duy Tam, Lan Hoang Vu, Lan Tran, Le T. Que Huong,
Llouquet Sandrine, Long Nguyen, Long T. Bui, Nam Quan Nguyen, Ngoc Vo Arps,
Nguyen Huy Loc, Nguyen Khai, Nguyen Quoc Thanh, Nguyen Trong Khoi, Nguyen Van
He, Nguyen Viet Hung, Nhan Duc Nguyen, Roland Nguyen, Saigon 1, Steven Toly,
Taylur Thu Hien Ngo, Tran Tien Dung, Truong Chinh Ngoc, Tuan Kien Nguyen,
UuDam Nguyen, Vi Ly, Viet Le, Vuong Van Thao, YLW (Young Leading Women), and
more…
-more-
2-2-2-2 F.O.B. II: Art Speaks
Six years ago, F.O.B.: A MultiArt Show started a movement within the artist community,
specifically among a young generation of Vietnamese American artists living in
California. The exhibition was meant to challenge the labels that threatened to define the
community and the community of Vietnamese American artists too narrowly. Through
the first F.O.B., we sought to find our own artistic voice.
On January 9 – 18, 2009, the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association
(VAALA) will again gather established and emerging artists of varying ages and who
work in different mediums for F.O.B. II: Art Speaks. We want to examine the broader
issue of our community’s identity and what we are allowed to say through art in the space
of the national and international.
Co-curators Lan Duong and Tram Le state, “In light of recent events regarding the
silencing of dissent in the community and in the country, we want to promote a diversity
of voices within the art community in Viet Nam and abroad. We believe that art must
speak in times of political turmoil. With this exhibit, we pose the following questions:
how do we define ourselves as a community today, and how will we define ourselves as a
community tomorrow? As artists, how do you express yourself through art without
constraint?”
Most expressly, this exhibition is a forum for community members, including the artists,
to share their own stories through their artwork, the performance of their stories, and their
participation in panel discussions.
F.O.B. II: Art Speaks is VAALA’s largest multi-art exhibition incorporating all the major
mediums of visual and performing arts presented by the Vietnamese diaspora. This 10-
day event is organized by the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association
(VAALA), a community-based non-profit organization that has organized numerous
cultural events, including symposiums, exhibits, film screenings, concerts, and the
biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF).
###