Becoming Alluvium
Ho Chi Minh City-based artist Thao Nguyen Phan is presenting her first exhibition in Australia at Brisbane’s Institute of Modern Art (IMA). Becoming Alluvium is a single channel colour film that builds upon the artist’s ongoing research into the Mekong River and the cultures that it nurtures. The work’s non-chronological narrative and associative logic harnesses allegory to explore the environmental and social changes caused by the expansion of agriculture, overfishing and economic migration of farmers to urban areas. Unfolding over three chapters, Alluvium is a tale of destruction, reincarnation and renewal, with content peppered by a host of literary references from Khmer folktales to Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities (1972). History and mythology ebb and flow through this film that contemplates the implications of industrialisation, food security and ecological sustainability. Becoming Alluvium is on show at the IMA from October 9 to December 18, 2021.
NOTE: The dates provided are current and speculative. Many Australian and international arts organisations remain closed in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions. Please refer to institutional websites for further details.
